New Heights
by ice cream soup
Summary: When Medusa, Ruler of the Underworld, takes Skyworld and its goddess Palutena captive, all hope seems lost. Despite the odds and his young age, Pit must rise through harrowing trials if he wants to save everyone from Medusa's evil clutches.
1. Prologue

I'm sure you've all heard the story.

A long, long time ago, in the times of Ancient Greece, myths were passed down and were eventually recorded. You know, like the trials of Heracles, or Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece. And then, there's the tale of Icarus.

It's a tragic story, really; a kid and his father get locked up in a tower in the middle of the ocean. Daedalus, the father, began fashioning makeshift wings from candle wax and feathers that dropped from nearby birds. It was slow work, made even slower by his son, Icarus, who playfully scattered and ran off with the feathers every now and then. But, finally, Daedalus's efforts bore fruit, and the wings were finished.

Crying with joy at the thought of freedom, Daedalus still took care to warn his son not to fly too close to the sun, for the heat would melt the wax that held his wings together. Unfortunately, Icarus paid little attention and proceeded to fly skywards, towards the sun. Eventually, true to his father's warning, Icarus's wings fell apart as the sun melted the wax, and he began to fall. He cried out in anguish for his father, but the foolish boy had flown too far away, and could not be heard. When Daedalus turned his head to check on his son, the father was devastated to see only feathers floating on the water. With great sorrow, Daedalus buried his son's corpse upon reaching land.

...But that was not the end of Icarus's story.

It is said that a shaft of light could be seen, reaching down from the heavens to touch down upon his grave. The people living nearby took a closer look to investigate, only to find that the body had disappeared.

I'm not sure how much of that story is true, but I do know that as soon as Icarus had died, the Fates told Zeus, the king of the gods, a most interesting prophecy. It told of the coming war between light and dark, and how one person would be in the middle of it all...

* * *

The sun rose as the god Helios pulled his flaming chariot across the sky. Its rays of light reflected brilliantly off of white cumulus clouds and marble columns that floated in the sky. In the distance one would be able to hear the echoing melodies sung by the angels in the academy choir. Large statues were scattered haphazardly in the area, depicting various creatures in different poses. Strolling past one such statue of a man fighting a serpent was a tall goddess whose emerald hair flowed down her back. She held her head majestically high, and her entire being radiated light and warmth. Palutena, the goddess of light, continued walking until she found a bench by an ornate fountain. She sat herself down, all the while cradling something in her arms.

"Palutena!"

The goddess turned to smile serenely at an unusually miniscule boy who fluttered over with snowy wings. "Good morning, Julius."

"G'morning!," the angel chirped. "Whatcha doing?" He pointed to the darkened mass that Palutena held. Was that... a ball of dirt?

"You will see." Palutena placed her hands on the... whatever it was... and emanated an intense glow. Julius cocked his scruffy head as Palutena's magic cleared away a coat of debris, revealing a human child. His eyes widened.

"Hey guys! Come over here, _quick_!," he twittered excitedly. A couple other angels poked their heads out of the clouds curiously and buzzed over.

An angel with powder-blue hair landed next to Julius, who was still hovering in the air like a hummingbird. "What is it _this _time, Julius? Oh, good morning, Paluten-ahhhhh!" He cried out in surprise as he was practically mown down by an off-white blur.

"Good morning, Astro," Palutena calmly addressed the unfortunate blue-haired angel, still focusing her gaze and magic on the child on her lap. "And good morning, Corydon. Please do try to slow down."

"Yeah, Cory," Astro snapped as he smoothed his now-ruffled hair. "You just about flattened me for the ninth time this month!"

The blonde angel named Cory grinned and taunted, "Too fast for ya, slowpoke?" He flicked a golden lock out of his face.

Julius chortled, "No... too stupid!"

"Jealous," Cory shrugged. "And what about _you_? You always have your toga in a twist about something dumb."

"It's not dumb! It's a human! See?" The indignant angel pointed to Palutena.

"So?," Astro piped up, "We see humans all the time."

But, despite themselves, Astro and Cory peered curiously over Palutena's shoulders, their wings flapping furiously to maintain the height. The human had messy chestnut hair and a thin frame. The face looked almost delicate, with eyes that were closed in what appeared to be sleep. Astro frowned. Why wasn't the child breathing?

After a long silence, Cory nodded. "Well... she's real pretty," he said admiringly.

Palutena's lips curled in amusement. " ...'_She_'... is a boy."

"Uh-buhwha...?" Cory gaped in sheer horror.

Astro and Julius burst out in laughter, clutching their stomachs and kicking their legs in the air. "That's what you get for always flirting with everyone, Cory!"

"N-nuh...!"

Palutena smiled warmly. "Ah, poor Corydon. But enough of that; I must focus on the task at hand."

"Ha, ha... oh yeah, ha ha, what _are _you doing? Ha ha!," Julius choked and wiped away a mirthful tear.

The goddess merely looked at them in her mysterious way, and her eyes sparkled. "Would you boys like to see?"

Still snickering, the two angels pushed past a bewildered Cory to get a closer look. Palutena closed her eyes and exhaled. A moist breeze escaped from her lips and flowed into the child's mouth, filling his lungs with air. Julius gasped. While the boy's chest once was still, it began to rise and fall once more, and his heart began fluttering like the pump of a bird's wings. But, most impressive of all, a brilliant glow sprouted from his back as two feathery appendages materialized and unfurled themselves.

After a long awed silence, Julius spoke. "Palutena... that was amazing!," he breathed. Astro nodded fervently.

"Yeah... you turned the human into an angel! He's just like Alex!"

The goddess inclined her head as she inspected her work. "Indeed... I suppose that will do for now."

"A-a... buh-but..."

"Hm... perhaps you boys should run along and take Corydon home. He still seems rather shaken," she noted wryly.

Julius laughed, "Yeah, come on, '_Pyramus_'!," as he grabbed Cory. "Here Astro, you can take his other arm."

"In a sec. You guys can go on ahead."

The other angel shrugged. "Alright. Catch ya later, Palutena!" Palutena waved as he took off, carrying the bewildered Cory with him.

"Hey Palutena? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I mean, what you did was really cool and all... but why? I know that angels are supposed to protect humans, but you're not supposed to bring all of them back to life or anything..."

"I know. But trust me, I do have my reasons for all of this." The goddess smiled benignly. "I apologize, but I should leave now; I am late for the council meeting I scheduled."

"Aw, alright. I'll see ya later." Astro paused. "By the way, what are we gonna call him?"

She considered the small child in her arms. "Perhaps... 'Pit'."

* * *

In the council room, everyone was in an uproar.

"This is not good, Palutena."

"But it is not such a bad thing either, Miles."

General Miles, bedecked in golden armor from head to toe, shook his head angrily. "The prophecy clearly implies that this boy," he gestured to the unconscious child that Palutena held, "could very well lead to the downfall of Skyworld in the first place!"

"But," interjected a female angel, "it states, literally, that he could also save Skyworld from destruction!"

"I'm not hearing it, Lieutenant Hypatia! There's too much at stake here! We can't trust him!"

Another angel groaned and clutched his own head. He stood out for being much taller than the others. "Palutena, this is just too confusing. I mean, what are we supposed to do? The prophecy is way too vague and cryptic for us to understand anything."

"I know, Alexander. But," Palutena said, turning her attention to the entire council, "I have already put some thought into this, and believe that it would be wisest if we monitored the boy closely until the foretold day arrives. We can judge him based on his actions later. And, in the meantime, I want everyone to raise him as our own. Alexander, I want him to live with you."

"What! That's so sudden!"

"You were once human too. You would understand him best," the goddess pointed out. Her expression softened. "Besides, I know you're still mourning the death of your son, and I hope that this boy-"

"Whatever you're about to say, please stop." Alex's face tightened, as if in pain. "No one could ever replace him. Ever."

Hypatia coughed uncomfortably, but Palutena continued, unwavering. "All I expect from you is to be the boy's Guardian until he is old enough to take care of himself. Every cherub needs someone to look after them, and this boy shall be treated no differently."

"...Fine," Alex grumbled, though he seemed to have calmed down.

Palutena glanced at him sadly before addressing the whole council. "Now, I would like to emphasize how important it is that no one speak of the prophecy after this meeting. Understand?," she asked sternly. "Not one word. If anyone else were to hear, then there would be chaos."

"But-"

"I will not argue with you, Miles. My orders may seem abrupt, but I have my reasons." She glanced at all her Centurions and nodded authoritatively. "This meeting is over."

_"Well, I guess that's that," _Alex thought and sighed. _"Nothing I can do about it now." _He looked across at Palutena and the boy he'd be stuck living with. Frankly, he didn't look all that menacing... but Alex didn't like the possibility that his friends could be harmed from the child's actions. "_For your sake, I hope you do turn out to be good... because if you hurt anyone," _he thought darkly, "_I will personally end you myself."_

* * *

Unknown to the council members far above, someone was watching them. Deep in Underworld, where darkness reigned and shadows lived, there was a curious torch that burned in black fire. Even more curious, however, was the hand holding the torch. The fingers were slender and well-groomed, and would have looked dainty if not for their sickly green complexion and the fingernails that were filed into lethal talons. The owner of the hand sat straight and regally on a silvery throne. This, too, looked deceptively ornate, but when examined closely one would see it was built out of polished skulls. The woman sighed and, with her free hand, reached out to pick up a goblet. She raised it not to her lips, but to her forehead, where snakes that crowned her head spat their venom into the cup. Medusa, goddess of darkness, stroked their heads in appreciation and took a sip.

"How infuriating," she muttered while swirling the venom that, strangely, resembled cider.

"What is? Your drink?" A peculiar crab-like creature called a Commyloose scuttled over, all the while staring at the floor and well away from Medusa's head.

Medusa glanced at her small, red servant and reared her head back in laughter. The Commyloose jumped in surprise, but looked pleased to have made his queen laugh.

"Queen Medusa, may I ask what is so funn-eek!," the crab squeaked as the dark goddess stabbed through his leg with a silver fork.

"_You_ are," she hissed dangerously while dangling the agonized servant by his leg. "You're _hilarious._" She burst out in more laughter, but the Commyloose just shrank back into his shell as much as was inhumanly possible. "Ha, ha... because, when I heard the Fates tell the prophecy, I thought, 'Outrageous! How can a mere angel boy defeat me?' And then you came, and I realized...," her voice suddenly darkened, "With minions all as idiotic as you, an _infant _could just skip on down here if he wanted. This is _your_ fault!"

"Sowee, sowee!," the crab squealed before his queen chucked him, fork and all, across the room and out the door.

"You are now." She smirked sadistically before turning her gaze back to the Seeing Torch. In its magical flames, she could see those wretched Centurions of Palutena's arguing their stupid little heads off. "Disgusting," Medusa spat as the flames displayed Palutena, patiently trying to calm everyone down. But, most repulsive of all, was that brown-haired runt sleeping in her arms. The queen of the Underworld clenched the torch so tight that a fine crack appeared in the wood.

"I had been planning a raid on Skyworld for eons, ever since that _traitor_ trapped me down here... but those fluffy white _imbeciles_, without doing anything, are predestined to win! It's not fair!," she screeched, "And it's all because a boy just happened to be idiotic enough to get himself killed! Then, of course, Palutena_ had_ to be a goody-goody and revive him, and now-" Medusa paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now," she slumped back in her throne, all energy drained. "I'll never get the vengeance I deserve."

One of the snakes on her head sagged sympathetically. "I know, Tanatos," the goddess cooed and patted him with her finger. "I wish I could just kill that stupid boy... but the prophecy explicitly states that I can't. If only there were some loophole..." The dark queen froze and Tanatos hissed at her curiously. Slowly, her fangs bared as a wicked smile slithered across her lips. "Yes..." She glared maliciously into the black fire. It showed Palutena suddenly gesturing to the council, who turned their attentions to the boy.

"Tanatos, I have a new plan." The snake's eyes gleamed happily with blood lust. Inside the flames, the boy stirred and rubbed his eyes.

The goddess of darkness smirked. "Maybe... I'll have my vengeance after all." Shrill giggles escaped from her mouth and escalated while she threw down her Seeing Torch into a pyre constructed of dried carcasses. The black fire enveloped the bodies and burned darker than ever, and soon her mad laughter filled the halls of her palace of death.

In the inky flames, the unsuspecting angel boy opened his eyes. They sparkled a clearer blue than the sky itself as he noticed the room full of strangers. After blinking in confusion, he looked up at Palutena and gave a bright smile.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Woo-hoo! Howdy! This is my first fanfiction... ever. So I guess I'm fairly excited. Hm, where to start?

Firstly, this is pretty much my attempt at a backstory/novelization of Kid Icarus. Why Kid Icarus? To be frank, I'm one of those sorry people who were born a generation (or two?) after the original Kid Icarus games were created, and the first I'd ever heard of the games was after the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sad, I know. However, I had become quite taken with the (potential) storyline and overall adventure, and I just had to write down my zany ideas. Plus, there were like NO KI fanfictions. I mean, there are, and most of them put mine to shame, but still. There must be MORE.

Secondly, sorry to those who don't like OCs. I don't either, but I can't write about Pit's backstory and have him be all alone! But I'll try to make it as Pit-centric as possible. Hopefully they'll grow on you? Hm...

Thirdly, please give feedback and constructive advice! Whatever you want, I wanna know! Was the story moving too fast in some places? Was it moving too slow in others? Do you disagree with how certain characters had been represented? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Whatever crazy things are on your mind right now, please tell me, and then we can talk it out! My main goal in writing this story is to improve as a writer, after all.

Last but not least... Thanks for reading this far! (Sure, it's only the first chapter, but still.) Hopefully I didn't waste your time. But if I did, then... you'll get over it. Maybe? Well, if you liked it, stay tuned for the next chapter... whenever that will be... Woo-hoo!


	2. Life on Skyworld

**Author's Note: Hey all! Here's the next chapter, posted in a somewhat punctual matter. With school, sports, and other things that have come up, the fastest I can post chapters is probably weekly, just FYI. And also, a thousand thanks to my reviewers Ze Dybbuk and Mariko Midori! I loved hearing from you, and you guys have totally just made my life. Plus I was totally inspired to work extra hard on this chapter. I hope the next chapters won't disappoint! And with that... time for some plot development! How fun!  
**

* * *

I remember when I began my new life as an angel, Palutena would always tell me stories- myths- right before I fell asleep, so I wouldn't have as many nightmares. But it was only after I asked her about a million times that she'd tell me the one I really wanted to hear: _her _story. Like all the other myths I'd heard, I have this one memorized by heart.

It starts like this: "One fine day, Zeus sat in his palace on Mount Olympus, ruling over the gods as was usual. As chance would have it, the sun had just swung across the sky as Zeus looked up, briefly blinding the god with its rays. Zeus squinted in pain, and a single sparkling tear fell from his eye. When his tear hit the palace floor, it began to ripple with energy and grow. As Zeus rubbed his stinging eyes, he saw before him his beautiful daughter Palutena, having come fully grown and clothed from the teardrop. Her every being brimmed with the sun's rays that had pierced Zeus's eyes, and two pure doves were perched on each shoulder.

" 'I believe it is you who is responsible for my creation,' she said and knelt before him. 'As my thanks, I would be happy to serve you in any way that I can.'

"Pleased with her respectfulness, Zeus replied, 'True, there is a task I would like to give to you... but first, I must give you a gift, since you have just stepped into the world. Whatever you wish for, it is yours.'

"She merely smiled politely and said, 'Father, I have no want for anything, except for a home where my doves may fly undisturbed.'

" 'Then it's yours!' And just like that, Zeus, with all his might, cast off a portion of his sky, and a piece of the earth so that the doves might perch and rest themselves. Sweating with exertion, he placed the new land in a place between Mount Olympus and the world of mortals. Pleased, Palutena earnestly thanked her father and flew with her doves to her new home, looking to all mortals like a shooting star. And she was happy, for her doves were free to roam the strange lands uninterrupted and in safety.

"But she was also lonely, for the kingdom in which she reigned had no subjects. She returned to her father and said, 'I know I have already asked of so much, but the lands where I live are barren and empty. Even my doves cry out for companionship! Please, I would like to have at least one friend there."

"Zeus listened to every word, and nodded. 'Very well! Just as I shared the world with my two brothers, you shall share yours with a sister! I will be right back, and then I will have your companion.' He visited his brother Poseidon and said, 'My daughter wishes for someone fun and exciting to be her company. I want you to create a friend out of something clever and unique.'

"Poseidon nodded and plunged his mighty fist into the ocean. From it, he pulled out a sea serpent and molded it into a shapely figure. Zeus brought it to life with a strike of lightning, and thus Medusa came into being. She had all the beauty of Palutena, and her eyes glinted like the darkest depths of the ocean. When the two goddesses met, it was an instant friendship; Palutena admired Medusa's creativity, and Medusa appreciated Palutena's kindness.

"Working together as the perfect team, they began a project: to fill the emptiness of their lands with fun creatures, to stave off Palutena's lonesomeness. By combining Medusa's deviousness and Palutena's tenderness, they crafted a menagerie of creatures; when Palutena created a perfect flower, Medusa, in her mischief, gave it the power of flight. Likewise, Palutena would craft a toad, and Medusa would give it wings and only one eye. The goddess of light never ceased to marvel at her partner's ingenuity. So great and many were their creations, that even the god Zeus was deeply impressed! He paid Palutena a visit while she was, rather childishly, building some sort of snowman.

" 'Dear daughter, I am so proud to see the progress you've made with your home! But now that you've settled down, there are the tasks I mentioned earlier that you must fulfill.'

"She smiled and stood tall, dusting the snow off of her clothes. 'Of course, father.'

" 'The humans have become quite populous lately, so that even the great goddess Demeter is struggling to sustain all their crops at once. If you and your friend could look after some villages, I'm sure it would be of much help.'

"Palutena and Medusa agreed, so that they might repay Zeus after he created their kingdom. They ventured out of their home and met humans for the very first time.

"Palutena loved them instantly; they were so fascinating! They made their own tools and lived together in large shelters, and they interacted in the most interesting ways! The two friends promptly set to work. Perched in the sky, Palutena sent down shafts of light to warm the humans and feed their crops. Then on some days, with a wave of her hand, Medusa would bring rejuvenating rainfall through her affinity with the ocean. And the goddesses and the humans were in complete harmony.

"Unfortunately, humans are prone to foolishness. Becoming too comfortable in the presence of the gods, a group of hunters decided to follow the two goddesses as they returned to their kingdom, for the mortals were curious to see the strange creatures that lived there. Trembling with anticipation, they stumbled upon a snake with wings called a Shemum, one of Medusa's most beloved children. Thinking of the profits they could make from such an exotic creature, they immediately gave chase. The poor creature, having never seen a man before, was unsure of what to do in the hunters' presence. It was an easy kill. The humans raucously laughed with triumph and paraded around in their arrogance.

"Alerted by the noise and the distress of her creatures, Medusa leapt from shadow to shadow to find the body of her Shemum skewered brutally on a pike. Enraged, she shrieked, "What treachery is this! Is this how the humans repay the goddesses, by slaughtering one of their children?" In anger, she blindly swung out at the careless humans, who howled in pain and shriveled into dust. The disillusioned goddess swore she would punish the humans severely and teach them a lesson, so that they may never act so recklessly again.

"Unaware of what her friend was up to, Palutena fancifully sat with her doves in the clouds and observed a human village far below. How delightful! The clothes they wore were so varied, unlike the usual pure white robes the goddess herself always wore. And they were so unpredictable! She frowned, for perhaps the first time since her creation. Deep inside, she slightly envied the flexibility of Medusa's mind; it was flawed and a little twisted, but it was always unique. Palutena always tried to make creatures as interesting as her partner's, but the closest thing she made was a walking snowman. And, anyways, it didn't turn out quite... right. All that was in her power was to create light and beauty and perfection, and it was truly wonderful... but Medusa brought rain and darkness and variety, and made life more exciting.

"Musing on such things, Palutena caught a ball of light in her hands and began to mold. When she was finished with her craft, she raised an eyebrow quizzically. It took on the flawless form of a human, albeit much tinier, but it was missing a creative edge. What did Medusa do to make her creatures more interesting? Thinking back on the Kerons, the frogs that Medusa had given wings, Palutena smiled and grabbed a nearby cloud. Using her doves' wings as models, she stretched it so that thin ivory tendrils fanned out, and that the insides became light and airy. She pondered for a bit as to where she should place them... on the ankles? Or the head? Eventually she settled for the back, and stuck them on. She giggled at the sight- a human! With wings! It was ridiculous, but also beautiful. And it was her best creation yet. With great love and care, she named it 'Angel'.

"And so caught up was she with her gorgeous creations, she began to pay less and less attention to the beings that she had made with Medusa, down below. The name of their kingdom is a testament to Palutena's single-minded devotion, for Angel Land was named only for her silly winged humans."

At that, she stopped. I tried asking her to tell me more, but she said it would have to wait for another night. Even though she was smiling as usual, I could've sworn that her heart was breaking as she remembered days forgotten.

* * *

Pit was flying.

He watched the clouds blur past him and grinned before speeding through a group of chattering girls. They squealed in surprise and prepared to give chase, but he was already a distant speck in the sky. He closed his eyes, savoring the wind pressing against him, and expertly tucked back his wings into a dive. Right before it looked like he'd crash through the roof of Palutena's sky palace, he flared them open and arced back upwards. Rushing up to join him were Palutena's sacred doves, Elani and Epifanio. Laughing cheekily, Pit angled towards one- he could never tell them apart- and brushed their wingtips together. Expecting a playful coo from the bird, Pit was caught off-guard when it spoke.

"Hey!," the dove squawked, turning its beady eye towards the angel.

Pit gawked dumbly. "Er... You can _talk_?"

Its eye narrowed in indignation. "Of course I can talk, fool! Now pay attention!"

Pit blinked out of his daydream, and instead of an angry dove, he saw an angry teacher. He yelped and nearly fell out of his chair.

"S-sorry General Miles! I just-"

"Had your head in the clouds again?" Pit nodded sheepishly and grimaced when the elderly General turned his head quickly, which made his long jowels flap. "Well then," he growled, "I don't suppose you know the answer to the question I just asked?"

The young angel glanced at the chart that Miles had indicated. On it were drawn-out battle scenarios. "Well, given the situation, I think that the Delta Troop should maybe engage Force I and II, so that the Beta Troop can go east and curve around to stop Force V. ...So... yeah... that should be right," he finished somewhat awkwardly.

His teacher glowered. "That it is. Now stop looking out the window for once and act like you're interested in what I have to say!" He turned to draw up another chart in front of the class, mumbling something about how kids never respected authority anymore.

"Good save," a blonde angel whispered from behind Pit. He turned around in his seat and grinned.

"Yeah, got lucky I guess-"

"PIT! CORYDON! Stop talking and face forward!" Pit snickered as he turned to the front and stretched luxuriously, as if he was on top of the world. Not even the grouchy general could dampen his spirits; with his top marks in all his core classes, Pit had just recently become the youngest captain of Palutena's guard. He had been bursting with pride ever since. And why not? He had always wanted to serve the goddess, and plus maybe everyone would stop poking fun at him for being awful at flying. Even if he was the top of his class in everything else, even a newborn cherub could fly better than him. And his peers had made sure he wouldn't forget it.

Being reminded of such things, he felt his mood slip from arrogant to anxious in the course of the five minutes he spent walking to his next class. _Walking_.

"Hey Pit! Good luck on your flying exam!," Julius had shouted before darting to Choir, as excitable as ever. The young captain gulped.

"Yeah," Cory sniggered. "At _least_ get a D for Doofus. Make me proud!" He clapped Pit on the shoulder and joked, "Maybe someday you can even try out for the Airball team!" Astro rolled his eyes.

"Cory, stop teasing. Besides, you're bad at Airball too; you're only on the team to 'impress' the girls."

"Well, it works! Did you see Cynthia smile at me the other day? She totally digs me."

"Actually, she was laughing at you because a booger was hanging out your nose for the whole game."

"..." Cory scowled at Astro and self-consciously wiped at his nose. "That's _not_ funny."

Despite himself, Pit grinned and said, "I guess _Cynthia_ thought it was!" Astro snickered.

"You guys suck Shemum eggs!," Corydon snapped at his two friends.

"You better leave for Airball now; you don't wanna be late to _impress Cynthia_!"

"Right back at ya, Arm-Pit! If you're late to your flying test, you just might fail again!," Cory retorted, still seething. "I'll smell you two later." He rocketed away, taking care to show off his fast flying whenever a girl passed by.

Pit's mood soured again. Now _that_ was a low blow.

"Oh, cheer up! You'll do fine," Astro assured. "Besides, fifth time's the charm, right?"

"Yeah," Pit replied in what he hoped was a cool, confident manner. Astro simply shook his head sympathetically and went off to the Weapons Training Room. Inhaling deeply, Pit stepped out of the Academy and into a cloudy field. He felt a rough cross-breeze whip through his hair and winced. The conditions for testing today weren't nearly as good as last year's, and he had still failed then...

"Hey, Pit! Ready for your flying exam?" Hovering perfectly level from the ground was the best flier (and flying teacher) in Skyworld. His wings were a complete blur, and he sported the typical white exomis along with some golden sandals and gauntlets.

The young captain smiled weakly. "Hi Collin! And... I definitely am."

"Great! You know the drill- fly through those metal hoops in the right order, and you pass." The teacher grinned. "I know how hard you've been working at this, and I think you'll do great, er, this time."

Pit actually felt a little better upon hearing the encouragement. Major Collin really was a cool teacher. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "_I can do it,_" he thought. "_I know I can. Of course, that's what I said last time, and then I failed. But I won't fail this time. Though that's what I said last time, too. This'll be different, though. Even if I thought the past few times would be different. But maybe-_"

"Pit?"

"_I've worked so hard, though. It has to work out eventually, right? Or maybe I'm doomed forev-_"

"Pit!"

"W-what?" The angel boy blinked at a feather held between the Major's fingers.

"Calm down. You're molting everywhere."

The young captain flushed and mumbled his apologies. He stalled a little by doing some stretches, but he still didn't feel any calmer.

"_Let's just... get it over with,_" he thought to himself.

Screwing his eyes shut, he stretched out his wings and pushed off from the ground.

* * *

"You seem worried, Alexander."

The Guardian Angel glanced at Palutena. He shrugged it off. "Well, Pit's taking his flying exam... again. But whatever." Alex leaned over a marble banister and peered down below, where the young captain was warming up.

"But he really has no need to."

"I know," Alex sighed and ran a hand through his pitch-black hair. "I've already explained to him that he and I just can't fly as well as the others. Cause, you know, we used to be humans, and we're bigger, heavier, and clumsier. But he really has his heart set on it. I can't see why the Major can't just cut him a break." Right then, Pit leapt from the ground and beat his wings furiously.

"Yes. I, too, earnestly hope for his success," Palutena agreed. "But I have the feeling that something else is on your mind as well."

Again, Alex shrugged. "Everyone's a little antsy nowadays. The foretold day is coming soon, isn't it?"

The goddess observed as Pit haphazardly squeezed through the first hoop. "Perhaps. The prophecy never did say precisely when Medusa would ambush us."

"That's the thing." Alex frowned. "How can she sneak an attack on us when we've already heard the prophecy? We've prepared and everything since then."

"The Fates sometimes tell the future in interesting ways. Who knows? Medusa is cunning enough to think of something that we have not."

"But if it's true..." Alex's brow furrowed, "then Skyworld is doomed, and you'll be captured, and then Pit will have to..." His expression darkened. "Palutena, why in the name of Zeus did you make that boy a Captain, anyways? He's not ready."

She turned her head slightly. "So that is what was bothering you so." Down below, Pit faltered a little as the wind hit his wings. After a silence, she answered, "I know it is not to your liking, but Pit is capable. Lieutenant Hypatia has educated him thoroughly on Angel Land wildlife, his aiming skills are second to none, and according to General Miles's reports he is as good a leader as any. Though this is undoubtedly fast-paced, he will need all the experience he can get before the foretold day arrives."

Alex clenched his jaw. "It's just not right. How are you even sure he's the one? You could be just preparing him to get killed!"

"Ale-"

"You know what I found this morning?," he continued. "Wine, on our doorstep. We thought it was a present- you know, for good luck on Pit's flying test and everything. Of course, I didn't let him have any of it because the last time he had any, he went nuts." Alex clenched the banister, turning his knuckles white.

"So, I decided to feed some to a little Moila that flew by," he gestured to indicate the size of the starfish creature, "and it dropped dead. The wine was poisoned!," he spat. "And you know what else?" Palutena merely stood listening, with a far-off look in her gaze. "Just last week, at night, I went in to check on Pit- you know, because he has nightmares all the time- and there were snakes, in his bed! Thank the gods that he wasn't bitten; I still don't know how he managed to kill them in his sleep, but if he hadn't, then...!"

Alex turned to the goddess with a desperate look in his eyes. "It's Medusa, isn't it? That Cerberus-tailed bitch is trying to kill him!"

"So it would seem." She absently watched Pit laboriously climb up through the air and flip backwards for a loop.

"Palutena, please listen to me. He needs to leave Skyworld until after Medusa's raid. If the boy gets caught up in a _real_ conflict, he won't stand a chance."

At that, the goddess locked her gaze with her Centurion. Her eyes were suddenly a stormy gray. "What has happened to your faith?" Alex winced as he caught the thundery undertones of her voice. She was her father's daughter, all right. "I am aware of the risks, but Pit is Skyworld's only hope of redemption. Without him, we are all doomed." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If you do not agree with me, then you agree with Medusa."

"No way!" he stammered back, inwardly kicking himself. Those closer to Palutena knew that she was actually more on edge than everyone else, especially since the prophecy pretty much guaranteed that someone would betray their cause. So of course, he just _had _to provoke her. "That's not what I meant at all!"

Palutena heaved a deep sigh, sending a shivering breeze through the clouds of Skyworld. "Of course not. You are just concerned, as you should be. But I cannot, and will not, have Pit leave."

"You're right," Alex gave in before sinking down onto the polished floor. "I spoke out of turn. It's just that...," he gestured weakly, "I mean, he's a good kid..." He peered from the balcony to see Pit just barely gliding down through the last hoop and sprawling awkwardly on the ground. It was then that Alex had a flash of memory...

_He saw _him_ instead, gasping and lying on the floor as the black smoke began choking the life out of his tiny body_. _He saw himself reach out and try to grasp the boy's hand_, _but it was so far away, and his vision was blurring, and he couldn't breathe_-

He snapped back to reality when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. Palutena was smiling, but her eyes reflected great sorrow and understanding.

"Things will work out. You will see," she asserted. "He has the heart of a warrior." Despite his doubts, Alex gratefully smiled back. He blinked a little as a shadow slipped out of his field of vision. It was peculiar, because he thought it almost looked like a sna-

"I PASSED! I PASSED! I DID IT! Take _that_, gravity! HA HA HA HA!" The Guardian jumped higher than Olympus itself as Pit's voice reverberated so loud that even the Overworld could hear. He watched as the boy took Collin by the arms and swung him round and round, and ran himself face first into a column. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and he has the mind of a monkey."

* * *

An orange glow was cast on Skyworld, and the shadows distended as they gorged on twilight. Alexander was hopping from cloud to cloud, carrying a dazed Pit on his back.

"How on Overworld did you manage to give yourself a concussion?," he grumbled right as he leapt for the next landing. He swore loudly when he almost slipped off, and glanced back anxiously to make sure Pit hadn't heard. The boy just grinned lopsidedly and hiccuped.

"Hey Alex, guess how much wine the nurse gave me?" The Guardian groaned. Not again!

"...How much?"

"_This_ many!," Pit slurred, and held up three fingers.

Alex shook his head. " 'This many' what?"

"Wine!"

"No, I meant the measurements."

The young angel cocked his head in concentration. "Uh... degrees, I think."

Alexander sighed in exasperation. "Whatever. Anyways, I thought I told the nurse not to give you any wine."

"She didn't."

"What!"

"Well, she gave me some, 'cuz it'd help the pain-er-whuddever, but I drank sommore when she wasn't looking..." If there had been any columns laying around, Alex swore that he'd bang his face against one as well, albeit in exasperation.

"...You really shouldn't do things like that..." He began climbing the stairs that led to their home. "Well... on another note, congrats on your flying exam. Looks like you can graduate from the Academy now."

"Yup, and I'm gonna start training with the Centurions tomorrow... and then I'm gonna fly all over the world... and then I'll high-five Poseidon-n, and may-be-ee Heel-yos will gimme a piggy-back ride, too, an-nd...," Pit continued to babble and became less and less coherent. "...palloo...gimm ee uh why tat..."

Alexander stepped inside their milky-white house and lit the fireplace. "You don't say."

"..."

"You still alive back there, kiddo?" He was answered by an obnoxious snore.

Alex's affectionate smile turned into a grimace as Pit began drooling on the Guardian's shoulder. "You are _so _not worth the trouble." He sighed and walked up another set of stairs. Gingerly, he unclasped Pit's hands from around his neck and lay the sleeping angel on a cot.

Instead of going to bed himself, Alexander leaned back against a wall and watched over the boy protectively. It had been a long time since the vigilant Guardian had slept, but he could resist the heavy pull of exhaustion for a little bit, since he soaked up extra sun power that afternoon. Besides, he had to make sure that there were no more... incidents.

"I absolutely _won't_ let anything happen to you," he murmured determinedly.

Listening in the shadows, someone cruelly bared their fangs in silent laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hoo-whee! Hope this chapter wasn't too lengthy or anything, particularly the part talking about Palutena's past. It was tedious to write in a more formal, hopefully somewhat Greek-story-ish voice, but it was really fun trying to think of her relationship with Medusa and throw in some twists in there. If anyone thinks that Palutena's birth was a lot like Athena's, then... they're right! It does kinda sound like BS in terms of her origins, but then again Athena came out of Zeus's headache, so who knows? Plus, I heard that Palutena's name was supposed to be based off of "Parthena" or "Athena", or something like that. Oh, and I hid a reference to the game in this chapter somewhere. (I mean, of course this fanfic is based off of the games, but this reference isn't so obvious. For example, not the Kerons or the Shemums, or that creepy snowman guy.) Can anyone spot it?  
**


	3. History and Fear

It was long, long ago when it had all happened. At the time, the creatures of Angel Land began to stir with loneliness. Their favorite of the two goddesses, Palutena, had not sent down a loving beam of light, let alone descended to visit, for far too long. She was much too busy crafting more of her beloved angels. And Medusa, well... As much as the tentacled (and appropriately named) Monoeyes and the prickly-balloon Minoses (along with many others) strived to cheer her up, it was of no use. It was as if something locked away in her mind finally clicked open. But whatever had spilled out was kept contained and unseen... for now.

In the very least, the incident showed that her kingdom was completely vulnerable. Determined not to let any more of her children die, she carefully instructed them to attack any and all humans they saw. She swilled a potent venom and gave it to her Shemums specifically, so that they could properly defend themselves. But that was not all...

The humans had to be disciplined. The only reason that her Shemum was killed was that the people had grown too easy-going, when they really should have feared the two goddesses and paid their respects. So, when the farmers nonchalantly glanced to the sky and expected rain, Medusa would, instead of sending down the pure water she harnessed from the seas, take handfuls of ocean salt and scatter it all over the land. The crops shriveled instantly, and to the humans' dismay, the salt prevented them from planting anything anew. Medusa made sure to do this regularly, until the humans would become afraid of the gods again. She never thought to discuss this with Palutena- after all, the emerald-haired goddess was far too preoccupied with her new creatures to care either way. She even began to forget about her duties to the humans that she had once loved so much, and so they starved without a shred of hope left.

But even the distracted goddess of light couldn't ignore the fact that Medusa was acting oddly. She had always preferred darkness, since it was from the murky depths of the ocean that she was born, but now she clung to the shadows religiously. She also began teaching the creatures on the land and in the Underworld strange and violent things, giving prickly teeth to even the flying Daphne flowers. And she gradually came to enjoy making the humans miserable in any way she could.

Finally, Palutena managed to take a break from crafting more of her angels; she realized that she had to talk to Medusa. The goddess sent her children down to play on the lands below, as they often did, and, with her doves' help, was able to track down her friend.

When she found Medusa, the raven-haired goddess was hunched over an iron ball, in the process of giving it life... and a mouth with menacing, blade-like edges.

"Medusa? Are you feeling quite all right?," she asked cautiously. The dark goddess paused in her work and stood to face her friend. Her eyes were sunken and dull, and her skin was even paler than usual... which Palutena had thought was impossible. To Palutena's surprise, her friend giggled shrilly.

"Nice to see that you still care! I thought you were, you know,_ occupied._" Medusa flashed a crooked smile.

Though slightly unnerved, Palutena pressed on. "It has come to my attention that you have been... upset. But you should have consulted me when you decided to punish the humans."

"And what of it?," Medusa snarled, making even Palutena flinch at her erratic mood. "It's not as if you were doing anything. And those brats are finally gonna get what's coming to them."

"Should I take this to mean that you are not through with their punishment? Medusa, this is going too far," Palutena pleaded. "The humans have suffered long enough. They are not nearly as horrible as you might think-"

"Of course you would think that," her friend sniffed. "You always act like such a goody-goody, you know, but you're not so above it all yourself."

"...I do not know what you are talking about."

Medusa just shook her head. "Oh, poor, sweet Palutena," she mocked, "Thinks that she can boss me around. It's not as if _you've_ been taking care of the humans lately. And did you even blink when the humans killed my little Shemum? Of course not; you didn't care, even though he was _your_ child, too!"

_Where did that come from?_ Palutena was taken aback, though she did not show it. "It must have been awful, but we should let bygones be bygones. The humans are _dying_, Medusa. Being immortal, you might not understand, but they need food to survive."

"Oh, I know, all right. Don't patronize me." Medusa grinned fiercely. "I won't smite them all at once, no. I'll let them slowly starve, so that they can think about what they've done."

"Medusa, please, if Zeus finds out-"

Her friend's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Let him. And stop acting like I don't know what I'm doing," she spat. "This is all deliberate, you know. What are you trying to do, anyways?" She sneered disdainfully. " 'Save me from myself'? 'Guide me to the right path'? Well, I don't need your help."

Palutena was stung, and her stoicism melted away. "Medusa, how could you say that?" Ignoring her friend, Medusa turned and walked away with the animate ball of iron in tow. "Medusa! Listen to me!" Palutena's voice rose in urgency. "Do not turn your back on me! Just where do you think you are going?' The dark-haired goddess cackled.

"I'm sick of looking at those disgusting humans. They occupy the entire world as if they owned the place... so I think I'll punish them all." Palutena's breath caught.

"...Just what are you going to do...?"

Medusa reared back her head, but instead of laughing, she just stared at the darkened sky. "An army. I'll take over Mount Olympus and lock away the gods, including you. All you will do is get in the way." Palutena stared at her friend incredulously. "And then I will enshroud the world of mortals in darkness, so that I will never have to see their hideous faces again. Without light, they will slowly freeze and starve, just like they deserve. After I succeed, I'll come back here and rule my blackened world with my children... Though I can't say your disgusting flying humans will be spared."

"You cannot." Palutena clenched her hands. Medusa just glanced at her with mocking, wide eyes.

" Oh, I'm _sorry_," she pouted sarcastically, "But who's gonna stop me?" All her patience spent, Palutena bristled at her friend's insolence.

"The gods will!," Palutena thundered, her hair standing on end as storm clouds congregated above her. "There is no way you will succeed. End this madness, _now._"

Medusa just laughed before sauntering away. "Whatever. But if I were you, I'd grab those precious angels of yours and take cover... not that it will do them any good. They're as arrogant and wicked as the mortals. As for me, I have plans that I need to see through."

Palutena blinked as darkness clouded her vision; when she finally saw through it, Medusa had left.

"..." Palutena grimly walked back to retrieve her angels. No, she would not hide. She had to confront her friend... perhaps Medusa could still be saved from whatever possessed her. The goddess stepped through a forest, to find her angels flitting haphazardly and screaming above the treetops. She soon saw the reason why; the froggy Kerons were chasing them doggedly, trying to divebomb those who lagged behind.

Without wasting any time, Palutena angrily flew up in front of the creatures, who promptly stopped in their tracks. "Halt! What are you doing?," she scolded. They glowered at her.

"Medusa say attack humans," one croaked. "These ones tricky. Have wings."

"Well, they are not humans. They are my children, just like you are." At that, they puffed up furiously.

"No. We not! You no come no more!," one accused reproachfully. "You hate us! Why you here? Goway, goway!" They turned and zipped away. Palutena could not help but feel a little hurt... but more than that was the feeling of guilt that began prickling in the corner of her mind as she realized just how much she neglected her other children. However, before she had time to dwell on the thought, one of her angels drifted down with urgency.

"Palutena!," exclaimed Angel, the first ever of his kind. His hair was pure white and radiant, and he had a relatively tall stature; he had, after all, been fashioned after a human man. "All of the land creatures are attacking us! I don't think we're welcome here anymore!"

"What?" She frowned. "That cannot be... I need to enlist their help. Medusa is planning something awful..." He shook his head.

"Well, there's no way any of them will help now. It's like they hate us!"

Palutena looked sadly in the distance, where the Kerons were mere specks in the sky. "Yes... perhaps... but now we have no one to oppose Medusa's forces..."

Angel's golden eyes glinted with determination. "Don't worry Palutena. If you need someone to fight, then I will!"

"No. I will not allow any of you to get hurt."

"Aw, c'mon! I mean, if it's bothering you this much, then whatever she's doing must be really bad, right? We have to stop her." He straightened himself up as tall as he could make himself. Palutena inwardly marveled at his tenacity; he did not even fully know the horrors of Medusa's plan, and yet...

...Had she really been the one to create that facet of his soul? He practically gave off his own light...

"...Very well," she gave in reluctantly. "Tell all of the others as well." The goddess instantly knew that she would regret her decision. Angel nodded fervently and sped off. Now, all that Palutena could do was ask her father for help, too...

But when she arrived at Mount Olympus, he rejected her.

"Palutena, I am disappointed. You have broken my promise to take care of the humans, and now Medusa is starving them like dogs."

"But father, if she goes through with her plan-"

He looked down on her coldly from his throne. "I know what her plan is. The gods will stop her advances onto Mount Olympus and the world of humans... but we will not help you defend you nor your home."

As she stared into his unforgiving eyes, she realized that there was nothing she could do. "...Very well..." Even Palutena's regal posture began to sag as she turned away from the father that had forsaken her. She could not just give up, though. At least she knew that the realms of the gods and mortals were safe. But then, how would Medusa react to defeat...?

As the goddess flashed brilliantly across the sky, she noted with some worry that, already, it was beginning to corrode with darkness that spread like acid. She lighted down upon a cloud to check up on her angels... but there was no one there. Palutena scanned the skyline warily. Perhaps Medusa had already attacked? No. It could not be. The goddess worriedly descended, searching for her friend... no, her enemy... and she froze.

Of course, Palutena had wondered where Medusa could have procured an army in the first place. If her troops were of the necessary magnitude to take over the world, after all, even Palutena in her distractions would have noticed. But the goddess had not given it too much thought, until now.

Because, once hidden cleverly, there was now clearly a gaping abyss in the center of the lands of her kingdom. And from the giant pit lurched out all kinds of terrifying monsters, marching to nothing but Medusa's echoing cackles. She must have created her own horde of creatures in secret, Palutena realized. And in the distance, she could also see her angels, flying over the creatures and dropping rocks on them from above and doing whatever else they could to interfere.

The ensuing battle would only be talked of by the mortals immediately surrounding Angel Land, because they were the only ones to see; fortunately enough, Medusa's forces were easily contained within the kingdom's borders by the combined power of the gods. However, those who witnessed the clash between the dark and the light would never forget it.

At first, the mortals milled about in their usual manner, lamenting the never-ending famine that had plagued them and caused many deaths. Some even tried to eat the grass that they would have normally reserved for their livestock, though that had soon shriveled as well. However, on that day, the humans were distracted from their sorrow. They looked to the sky fearfully as they saw a strange blackness eat through the sky, blotting out the sun itself. Mayhem soon followed; the mortals panicked and either ran around blindly, or crawled as they pitifully felt their way along the cracked earth. It was not long, however, before a glint of yellow light flashed and fell down towards them. Rejoicing at what they thought was a small beam of light, some ran towards it.

But it was not light. Not quite. One human had been splattered with the warm, bright substance, and with much terror, realized just what it was.

It was golden blood.

More drops of gold began to fall from the pitch-black sky, until they began to faintly illuminate just what was happening up above. The humans gaped in amazement- never had they seen such creatures! There were flying skulls with menacing tentacles, along with fearsome dragon-like monsters with pitchforks, who were teaming up against what looked like humans with wings. The latter were the ones that were bleeding profusely, their bodies releasing the golden light from which they were crafted. Instead of bleeding, any defeated skull or dragon creatures disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

The mortals then marveled as blinding flashes of lighting tore through the sky, scorching and piercing through several of the dark monsters at a time. It quickly began to destroy the spreading darkness, making the sky look criss-crossed with white lines. And most amazing, in the very center of it all were the two goddesses, locked in fierce combat.

They kept lashing out at each other's eyes, hoping to blind the other with light or darkness. In their free hands, fearsome weapons materialized, each one more powerful than the last; but the goddesses merely discarded one after another, dissatisfied with the amount of damage that the weapons dealt out. And at the same time, their minds struggled to maintain the clouds of darkness and the bolts of white lightning that corroded the sky. A crater soon formed beneath their feet as they ruthlessly bombarded each other with whatever force they could, neither giving any ground. Circling above were Palutena's doves, giving distressed cries and encouraging their goddess.

Medusa was frustrated. The gods had blocked her advances as easily as concrete could block a fly. And now she couldn't even make any progress in the battle that was on her own turf! She shrieked in anger as Palutena managed to land a blow on her leg with an electrified trident and retaliated with a poisoned axe, which she swung down and sliced across the light goddess's shoulder, causing her to flinch.

Medusa was about ready to throw a tantrum, and Palutena knew it. After her failed advances past the border of Angel Land, the irritated goddess had become careless in strategy and in her fighting. The dark goddess's black hair was plastered messily to her forehead, and her breathing grew increasingly ragged and desperate. She was at the end of her rope, and her unstable mind would not be able to cope. With a determined cry, Palutena thrusted her trident once more, hoping to end the foolish battle before more of her angels were hurt.

But Medusa's crafty mind read what Palutena was thinking. She knew that she did not have much more time. The goddess cast her eyes to the sky hungrily as she managed to just parry Palutena's blow, and with a snarl hurled away the surprised goddess of light. Then Medusa gave a twisted smile as she saw just what she was looking for.

Angel was fervently holding off two dragons, called Keepahs, at the same time. His arms ached as he swung his longsword, only for it to be dodged by the two dark creatures. But that was not what was important. What was important was that, at that moment, he happened to have his back completely turned to Medusa. Cackling maliciously, the dark goddess procured another weapon through her magic; a black javelin. With an effortless thrust, it was hardly visible as it blurred towards its unwary target.

As she picked herself off of the ground, Palutena saw Medusa throw the lethal weapon and immediately flew after it. Her hard eyes softened in relief as she managed to catch the javelin before it had hit her angel... but they soon widened in surprise as it elongated into an enormous black serpent upon contact, which wound itself around the goddess faster than one could blink.

"What treachery is this!," she hissed at Medusa, who merely shrugged mockingly. Weighed down, she thudded heavily onto the ground, completely vulnerable before her adversary. She saw her doves screech and scratch at the snake with their talons, but it didn't even tickle the enormous beast. Laughing hysterically, Medusa slowly walked towards the goddess with her axe dangling loosely in her hand.

However, as she prepared to strike Palutena, Angel saw what was happening and dove upon Medusa, yanking her hair and kicking the weapon out of her hand. She screamed in rage and lashed out at the annoyance, but he evaded her blows like a mouse would weave between the legs of a lion. His face was set with grim determination as he slashed downwards with his sword, not expecting it to even dent the immortal skin of the goddess. But to everyone's shock, the blade had penetrated Medusa's forearm.

Gawking at her injury, Medusa retreated a few steps from the small angel. Something was wrong here. She looked him up and down, which caused even her eyes to sting. Something emanated from the soul of that disgusting thing, and it repulsed her. What _was_ it?

After a slight pause, Angel merely shrugged. "Well, I can't complain!"

He raised his sword once more and stepped between Medusa and his goddess, who struck out tirelessly at the snake that bound her. Its coils began to weaken, but she still could not move fully, to her frustration. It had been magically designed by Medusa to react to the light that made up her body, and with each strike she lay upon it, it tightened its coils. The darkness from which it was made began to eat into her body of light, which caused her no end of pain, but she merely grit her teeth and continued to struggle. Angel wasn't too concerned, though; he had faith in his goddess. He knew she would find her way out of it in time. Right now he just had to focus on not dying from Medusa's tremendous power. At the moment, though, all she did was stare at him, which frankly creeped him out a little. However, he made the mistake of letting down his guard.

A seething Medusa raised her arm and shot a blast of dark energy at the angel, who raised his arms in a futile attempt to defend himself. He hissed in pain as it seared his whole body. But, still barely standing, Angel was frankly grateful that he remained_ living_.

The dark goddess did not seem so surprised; she had seen what had happened this time. There was a certain energy that the angel possessed, something that managed to keep him alive and counter her powers.

Not wasting a moment, he swung his sword back around, which cut her skin a second and third time. Angel wasn't sure what was going on, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth; Medusa had shrunk back now and had stopped her attacks, which was a relief for him.

As she dodged one attack after another, it had dawned on Medusa that she could not defeat the angel normally. But how? After all, there was no way she'd let herself be beaten by some human-buzzard.

She glared at the impudent young man who prepared to strike a final blow, when another shrewd idea wriggled itself into her brain. Medusa straightened up and faced the oncoming attack, which surprised Angel enough for him to let down his guard. Quickly moving to the side, she grasped his shoulder- wincing as beams of light shot out and began burning through her hand- and whispered something into his ear.

Whatever she had told him, it had made him falter. He froze for just a moment... but that was enough. With a ferocious cry, Medusa thrust her outstretched hand and pierced through Angel's stomach, for it to emerge out of his back. His golden blood immediately began to eat into her arm that had impaled him, but it was not as powerful as before. Angel's eyes slowly widened as the goddess, smirking, yanked her arm out from his abdomen with a revolting squelch. She released her grip on his shoulder and he collapsed gasping on the ground.

Palutena did not scream. She did not cry either, when she saw her favorite angel clutch at the hole in his gut in a meaningless effort to slow the flood of gold. She did not even think.

But she did feel something. Horror? Shock? Regret? Sorrow? All emotions she might have felt in that moment were crowded out by hatred. Never had she ever hated anything more than the smug goddess that stood over Angel's slowly dimming body.

She felt a strange power come over her, so unlike her own. The snake, which had seemed so troublesome before, was a mere annoyance. In a flash of light, she overloaded the nuisance, and all that was left were traces of dust. Her glowing eyes, now brighter than the stars themselves, glared at Medusa with pure rage. The dark goddess cradled her burnt arm that had killed the angel and squeezed her eyes shut at the intolerable light.

"You have made a terrible mistake."

Medusa took a step back. She managed to open her eyes and stare directly into Palutena's, though it was only through her immortal status that they had not burned right in her head. They watered constantly, however. But her eyes still went wider in spite of this, as if in childish wonderment.

"It hurts, doesn't it?," she asked, looking sincerely curious. "Now you know that it hurts, Palutena."

Whatever Medusa had meant by those words, it only served to provoke Palutena further. With a furious shriek, she barreled down Medusa and gripped her arms, burning the flesh down to the bone.

"How dare you!" Palutena gripped Medusa's hair with a glowing hand, and tore all of it out; Medusa began screaming and thrashing as she was pinned underneath the wrathful goddess, as where once she had abundant black curls, there instead burst out snakes from her skull.

"Snakes fit you," she said with more cruelty than she thought possible. "After all, you seem to enjoy stooping to low levels. So why not a creature that crawls on its belly?" Medusa, still panting in torment, could only glare in reply. "And so you may never mislead anyone again, you will be a hideous monster forever, and no one will love you from hereafter! In fact, your ugliness will turn whomever looks at you into stone!," Palutena continued, and with a bitter curse turned Medusa's skin a repulsive green.

"Finally, you will stay trapped in the giant hole you had made and hidden from me, with only your army of monsters for company. And I never want to see your face ever again!," she spat, and suddenly black tendrils of magic appeared and wrapped around Medusa, and began pulling her into the earth.

Finally exhausted of the anger that fueled her, Palutena sank down on her knees. She was too tired to want to think about what she had just done, nor of the reason for her actions; all she could think was that she wanted things to go back to the way they were.

"So this is it." The goddess turned her gaze up from the ground to look at the one who had been her friend. Medusa's breathing had stabilized as she recovered from the pain, and just stared back intently at the other goddess for a moment. "You know, I didn't think you'd have it in you." Medusa then smiled, almost warmly... almost normally... and Palutena realized that her former friend still had a shred of sanity left.

"To be honest, I was wondering just what you would do... At first I thought you'd just sorta cry and flail at me or something. But this," she nodded in her approving and devious way, "this is much more... hardcore, I guess." The goddess giggled shrilly, and Palutena felt a pang in her heart. ...Could it be?

"Medusa..." She stretched out a hand to the slowly descending goddess, only for it to be batted aside. Medusa's expression darkened. "What are you...?" The dark goddess merely flashed the fangs in her mouth in a pointy grin.

"Oh, you are _so_ going to pay for this."

She shrieked in laughter as the dark strands yanked her down completely, and she disappeared beneath the ground.

Palutena stared numbly at the spot where Medusa had once been, unsure of what else to do. Had she acted wrongly? She even had trouble recalling just what had come over her. Before she could dwell on her thoughts further, she was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard a trembling gasp. "...P-pa...lu..."

The goddess turned around in alarm and rushed to kneel by Angel, whose blood had turned red as the light began leaving his cold body. "Sor-ry," he choked, a trickle of the fluid running from his mouth. "I f-failed..."

"No." She smiled gently, but her eyes reflected gray pits of deep sorrow. "You were most helpful."

"...Good...to hear...it..." He grinned good-naturedly, before taking his last breath.

The sky stayed gray and rainy for months.

In the aftermath, only Angel had died. Though many were injured, Palutena was able to heal most of her angels. Her doves helped too; they were able to give their own light to a few others, which sped up the recovery process.

The mortals did not mind the contant drizzle so much; they could finally drink and start rejuvenating their parched earth. However, the rest of the world would not know what had happened between the two powerful goddesses. The gods on Mount Olympus had watched the encounter themselves, but they decided not to get involved in the matter. What did they care, anyways? Not one bit. Though there were rumors that a few had began to take pity on the goddess of light...

...And as for the fate of Angel Land...

As soon as Medusa had fallen, all the creatures belonging to her dark army were sucked under as well. Their world was that of despair, as they skulked in darkness and had to tend to their goddess as she gradually slipped further from her sanity.

The original creatures that were created by both goddesses stayed on the lands and seas, as they always had. Feeling betrayed by both Palutena and Medusa, they remained neutral and stayed away from the goddesses. However, they retained the instinct instilled in them by Medusa long ago, and they went out of their way to attack both humans and angels that trespassed on their home.

Palutena remained amongst the clouds in the sky. Of course, her angels stayed with her, too. With a human intellect, they soon built structures and a developed society that mirrored those of their unwinged counterparts on earth. Eventually, other creatures would venture upwards from the ground and adapt to the cloudy environment, and they were more tolerant of the angels than their predecessors down below.

And so it was that Angel Land, once a harmonious and nameless kingdom, was divided into three regions. Those who spoke fearfully of Medusa's abode often compared it to the horrifying Underworld of Hades itself, and eventually the name stuck. The creatures that lived on the lands above prided themselves in the fact that their land was preferred and held over the dark pit where Medusa dwelt, and as such the term Overworld was coined. Following the example of the lands below, the realm of the clouds named itself, appropriately, Skyworld.

The angels were forbidden from venturing down past Skyworld's border, because Palutena feared that they would be lost to the rogue monsters of the Overworld. And quite naturally, going near the Underworld was out of the question. The only time they were allowed out was when they were on a mission; in an effort to atone for her earlier neglect of the humans, Palutena trained her angels to deal with the supernatural monsters that often plagued the nearby mortal villages. Not only that, but the goddess of light knew that Medusa would eventually surface, so educating her angels in battle became even more of a priority. She had to be ready for whatever her former friend decided to cook up.

In fact, right after Medusa's defeat, Palutena had returned to Skyworld with three sacred weapons in hand; the Mirror Shield, the Arrows of Light, and the Pegasus Wings. These weapons were specially designed, supposedly, to repel Medusa's darkness. They all shone with an immense energy that was curious to the other angels. It looked almost familiar, but they couldn't quite figure out where or how Palutena had procured the weapons. But they shrugged it off, assuming that the goddess had created them herself; after all, she was certainly capable. The matter was left at that, and the weapons were stored in a safe place in the armory.

It was strange, though, because the angels never did find Angel's body.

* * *

Pit's nightmares always began in the same way; as if someone was digging through his mind until they reached what felt like a floodgate of some sort. Then it was torn down, and all sorts of frightening things spilled out from behind it to attack him, while the one responsible observed, safe on high ground. And then he would dream some more.

This time, he was running down the halls of Palutena's sacred palace. What was he running to? He didn't know... No, wait... He was running _away._ He turned right to go down another corridor, but smacked straight into a wall. Blinking, Pit saw his own reflection in the shimmering tiles from which the palace was built. He turned the other way, only to end up with the same result. With a start, he realized he was boxed in completely. He blinked incredulously, and so did his reflection. What was going on?

"Where are you going, Pit?"

"...I'm not sure," he admitted. He squinted through the murky darkness, searching the reflective walls for the source of the voice. "Palutena? Is that you?"

"Yes... and no." In the reflection he was able to pick out her silhouette standing right behind him. Strange... she was not emitting her usual glow. He turned around to take a closer look.

Pit's eyes widened in horror as he realized why Palutena wasn't glowing; black, inky tentacles were protruding from the floor and had wrapped around her completely. She just smiled without warmth as one gelatinous appendage writhed spasmodically and plastered itself over her right eye. "Do not look so surprised. After all, it is your fault..."

Suddenly, the whole floor cracked open as more of the tentacles erupted forth, sticking to Pit as well. They began dragging him down through the tarry floor, and as much as he struggled, he knew it was no use. "Palutena! Help me! I'm not strong enough!," he shouted in panic, reaching out for something to hold onto as he sank down past his chest. But she was gone.

In her place were two large serpents that grinned sadistically. "Of courssssse we'll help you, stupid boy..." They slithered over and promptly sank their fangs into each of Pit's wings, causing him to cry out in pain.

He thrashed wildly, trying in vain to thrust them off, but he was completely helpless; the sticky blackness had pinned his arms to his sides. "W-what are you doing? I thought you said you would help me!"

"And we _will _help you... help you DIE!"

He gave an agonized scream as they wrenched back their heads and tore his wings off. Tears began to dribble down his face and his breathing grew labored as he felt the room spin. In disbelief, Pit felt his warm blood gush down his back, watching the golden spatters get sucked up by the sinister blackness. He retched a little as he watched the snakes swallow his wings whole with sickening gulps, when the floor suddenly swallowed him as well. Instead of slowly sinking as before, he felt himself plummet as the darkness enveloped him completely, stranded in a never-ending free fall with no wings to save himself. Though his eyes were wide open, he couldn't see anything, and all he could hear was the cackle of some strange woman...

* * *

Medusa lounged on her throne of skulls, pleased with what she saw in the flames of the Seeing Torch.

"Ah, here's a good idea... here Comm, jot this down."

"Y-yes, my queen," her servant stammered, scratching his claw on a slate in an ill-attempt to write. Oh, how he lamented his lack of opposable thumbs! If he could just have pincers like those other crabs that mortals liked to eat... He glanced wistfully at the fork that still stuck out of his leg. The poor creature had been unable to pull it out, and he was much to afraid of Medusa to ask her...

She snickered. "Oh, that's rich. Get a load of this- he's still afraid of the dark! How convenient for us!" The Commyloose smiled weakly.

"Ha, ha... yes..." He sighed as he struggled to scratch some semblance of the words she dictated. He wasn't entirely sure why his queen was digging through that boy's mind in the first place; he had had to write up a list with her every single night since the boy had caught his queen's attention. Her servant yawned. He was so tired! Maybe if he could just catch a wink or two...

"Wake up, numbskull!" The crab was lifted up once again by the, well, fork. He squealed in pain as his eyes snapped open.

"M-my apologies, I didn't mean to-"

"Do you want to know _why _this is important?," Medusa simpered deceptively.

"Of c-course!," the Commyloose protested, "i-it's important bec-cause... er..."

"Because you're an idiot!," she shrieked and dropped her servant on his head.

"Right-t! ...Ow..." The goddess sniffed and focused her attentions on the torch once more.

"...But really, I can't have this stupid boy mess up my plans. So I'm going to make more children that are... made _especially _for him. At least, that was the idea..." She smiled. "I mean, how convenient would taking over Skyworld be, if the enemy is too scared to even lift a finger against you? Of course, I wouldn't rely just on imbeciles like you," she mumbled condescendingly. "After all, I think crab is one of his favorite foods." The Commyloose gulped. "Anyways, it's ingenious, isn't it?"

"V-very! Uh, your mind works in interesting ways-s..."

"Thanks. Now, let me see that list." The Commyloose grimaced as she lifted up and examined his chicken-, er, crab-scratches. Surely he would be punished for his illegible handiwork! But to his surprise, Medusa scanned over the words effortlessly.

"_...Maybe she has bad handwriting herself...?_," he wondered. She nodded at the list, satisfied.

"I have some great ideas for this one... oh, and this is okay, I guess... Hm... And-" she frowned and glanced at the Commyloose. "_Eggplants?_ Really?" It just shrugged comically and she sighed. "Whatever, I guess. But that's a little weird, even for me."

"...So... just what kind of creatures are you going to make?," her servant piped up, encouraged at her relatively mellow mood.

"Oh," she smirked mysteriously, "Just you wait and see." On that note, she stood from her throne and threw on a cloak.

The Commyloose blinked. "Uh, pardon, but where might you be going?"

"To see a rat. He doesn't like to be kept waiting..." With a snort of amusement at what she had just said, Medusa vanished in a whirlwind of black and flew up and out of the Underworld. Her strength had recovered enough for her to be able to leave her prison, though not for very long moments at a time; she would only be able to stay out indefinitely once Palutena was defeated, and her magic was weakened.

She knew that she wanted to do this. She _had _to do this. If she quit, then what would be left...? Medusa rose even further, getting dangerously close to the sky... but she was not concerned. Her powers hid her from all detection. Spotting the one whom she wanted rondezvous, she stopped and appeared before him.

Palutena would pay.

She would never forgive her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor Pit! What a trippy nightmare... Just the other day I fell asleep in history class and dreamed that an elephant was trying to sneak through my window and rob my house. So then I grabbed a jacket and smacked it in the face! Take that! Hahahahaha... Ahem.**

**Anyways, I hope the events in this chapter weren't too graphic/gruesome for those faint-hearted people, but I also hope it appealed to those who enjoy gore and drama and all that good stuff... **

**So! Lotsa villain development... though the bad side is that Pit didn't get much mention at all in this chapter! Oh no! But I decided I wanted to keep the backstory of the goddesses limited to two chapters, so here it is, in one long, crazy... THING. Yup. Hope it didn't feel tedious for some people. Though I'm fairly happy with how my first written fight-scene turned out. Don't the goddesses sound so badass?**

**Oh, and LOTS and LOTS of foreshadowing here. Like, every single thing in this chapter foreshadows something else. Yeah, I'm a mastermind!**

**Hope the more comical scenes with Medusa at the end didn't seem a little out of place with the other serious parts of this chapter, but I felt that maybe a break would be needed from the heaviness of the previous sections? I know that after I wrote this, my brain felt totally fried with the GORE. Yup.  
**

**Also, sorry, lo siento, gomenasai, mien! I didn't intend for the major delay in uploading this chapter, but homework was getting out of hand, and I sorta sprained my ankle, and other fun stuff. Not only that, but each chapter is considerably longer than the last! What. Is. This? I honestly didn't mean for things like this to happen- personally, I think a shorter chapter would be nice, short, and sweet. But I just needed to group all these things together! For anyone who's curious, this hefty chapter weighs in at... over seven thousand words. New record!  
**

**And finally, as always, thanks a million to reviewers Mariko Midori and Rain C. Frosty! Without your encouragement, well... I would be a sad, sad person. But in all seriousness, it means a lot! **

**Mariko, I'll be sure to check out your fic too! And Rain, haha I know right? And that's the exact same way I was introduced to Kid Icarus. Pit is my second-most used character, the first being Kirby. And I could go on this tangent about Metaknight and some others, but maybe not right now.**

**...Man I'm pooped. But my morale remains high! ...ZzZzZzZzZzZz...  
**


	4. Curioser and Curioser

I guess you could say I was in over my head. We weren't even in love in the first place- we must have gotten carried away during that festival for Dionysus. The next thing I know, she's pregnant, and we get married. After all, there was no way I'd disgrace her by revealing what we did. Best to keep it under wraps and pretend it happened after marriage. Even so, I felt my life just slip away; what was I even doing? I wasn't old enough for a family yet... there must be some other way. She says she thinks it will be a boy, but I think it's gonna be a girl, if it matters.

...

She finally gave birth to the thing. I thought it'd never happen soon enough; the past eight months were unbearable. As it happened, I swore I was gonna puke. How on earth could two normal human beings create that... slime-ball? I swear, it was scarier than Hera's wrath on her time of month. And I thought babies were supposed to be _cute_! Then we cleaned it off... I mean, _him_ off... Turns out he was a boy after all. I wiped my slippery hand on a cloth, swearing I would never eat with that hand again.

And then something amazing happened. After he was bundled up and breathing evenly, he gripped my finger. I couldn't help but give a small gasp... Why was his hand so tiny? Forget centaurs and sirens; I had finally found out the most intriguing creature of all. And he was all mine.

...

It's no surprise that she left. We tried to make it work out, but there was nothing for her here. It is for the best. At least, it is for us, but what about him? Won't he need a mother?

...

He's definitely taller than my knees now. I just love it when he calls me "dad". It makes me feel warm, like I'm not alone in this anymore. Really, all my life everyone has been judging me. Criticizing me. But he just totters along happily and doesn't have a single complaint.

Should he? Have I been doing a good enough job? I feel like I see the answer when I see his toothy smile.

...

I was walking back from the acropolis after making some good bargains on food. I could only pick up odd jobs here and there, so we really had to stretch our budget. Still, I was really pleased with myself. I had managed to walk away with plenty of meat, which was starting to be his favorite. We would have a feast for dinner. I can remember walking around the corner and nearly getting run down by a cart. Maybe I yelled something at him, like "This isn't a chariot race!" or something similar. At least I didn't drop the meat, I thought. I quickened my pace; I, too, really wanted to try the meat. I imagined the juices dribbling out as it sizzled over a flame, and I could even smell the smoke.

...Smoke...

There really was smoke. As I rounded another corner to find my house, my world came crashing down.

I'm not sure what started the fire, but it had burned across the row of houses as if they were made of oil. I dropped all of the meat- kind of ironic, actually- and rushed into our home without a second thought. I don't even remember how I had gotten so many burns as I ran past our now bright-red furniture, but I do remember how terrible it felt. The fear. The hope. Please, please be okay...

It was so hard to find him, though. Everything was a blur from the heat, and the tears that began clouding my stinging eyes. I shouted his name, practically crawling on the floor so I wouldn't get lost in the flames. Hadn't I searched there already? Damn, damn! My stupid body wouldn't even listen to me anymore.

It took forever for me to realize it, since my brain had been slowed as well, but my body was getting sluggish. I couldn't breathe. The smoke was proving to be lethal. And then the room started spinning...

How did I even end up on the floor? Just then, I heard the weakest cry that had managed to make itself heard over the roaring fire. It was him, finally. I could barely make out the shape of his body; the fire was burning even brighter now. I felt more tears spring up in my eyes, but this time it wasn't from the smoke.

I should have never left. He needed me, and I wasn't there. Inching myself closer along the floor, I could finally see his face. It was tear-streaked, but now he was too feeble to even cry. Oh, cruel irony... I had found him before it was too late, but now I couldn't do anything to protect him. I struggled to even grasp his still-tiny hand as darkness obscured everything. The last thing I could feel was the flames spreading, licking ever closer... but we wouldn't even feel it. We would die from the smoke before they consumed our bodies.

...

It must have been our souls. We were getting sucked down, down, into the Underworld, and there was Charon, our ferryman. Our hands were clenched tight, but we didn't speak a word. It's almost as if we couldn't. With dread, I realized that no one had given us the proper libation in the land of the living; how were we to pay him to take us across the river Styx if we weren't given any coins? I was planning to strike some bargain with him, but he just glanced at me before I could speak and said, "I cannot take you across."

I was indignant. Surely there must be some other way. Again, before I could argue, he spoke up again. "The boy will stay. But you do not belong here."

What did that mean? But surely enough, a force that felt as if a giant hand had closed around my soul began dragging me up. I tried to maintain my grip on his hand, but the same force severed our connection. What would happen to his soul? I couldn't leave him all alone!

"No! I won't let you go again!" I stretched out my arm, but he didn't return the gesture. He just smiled sadly, as if accepting the fate he was too young to comprehend.

"I'll miss you..."

There was a rush of air, and he was lost forever.

...

When I reawakened, I immediately wanted to go back. He still needed me. I tried grasping at whatever I could- a sword, even a plate- anything that could take me back to him. The people who had taken me away from him restrained my arms, but I still managed to make a small cut right by my neck. It bled gold.

I started sobbing. Why did they do this? Why didn't they save him, and not me? Even the goddess, as kind as she was, couldn't make things any better. My son was lost to me, and it was their fault.

At least now I had wings, because all I wanted to do was to fly away from everything.

...

The kid apparently couldn't remember much. Palutena thinks it's because his soul had been in the Underworld for a while before she brought it back. He probably would've gone to Elysium, which is pretty much the best afterlife available, if not for his little goof-up when he was living. It's kinda scary, really; he had barely spent any time in the Asphodel Fields, but he had already forgotten everything. That's just what the place does to you, though. Those who go there lose every sense of being.

He's definitely recuperating, at least. General Miles is giving me all sorts of crap about him after hearing the prophecy. Actually, he's more than justified. General Miles had just been a mere cherub when the bloody clash had happened between Palutena and Medusa, and he's entirely uptight and suspicious now in his old age. Plus, I'm uneasy about the kid, too.

It's hard to believe he could do any harm now, when I look at him. He's bone-thin. I couldn't help but disapprove... hasn't his mortal father been feeding him right? I was planning on feeding him lots of meat. I wouldn't have any myself, though; After the incident that happened so long ago, I don't think I'll ever stomach meat again.

...

Of all the stupid things that kid had to do, he just had to go beat someone up. On his first day at the Academy, too!

I had gripped his arm furiously. What if the prophecy was right? What if he would hurt more people?

"Why did you do it?," I snapped as I dragged him home. "Violence doesn't solve anything, you know! I swear, Brutus must have lost at least four of his teeth."

His eyes were wide with horror. "I-I'm sorry Alex! It's just that he was teas-sing me and stuff-f! And t-they were already loose!" At that, I frowned and loosened my grip slightly. He really did look sorry... maybe I had overreacted.

Then I realized that he was cradling his other arm against himself, and golden blood was dripping from his hand. Without a word, I grasped his arm and stretched it out to examine it. Being yellow, an angel's bruises are hard to pick out against their skin, but this one was bright and blotchy. Brutus must have hit him in the arm. I relaxed a little when I noticed that the blood was only dripping from his knuckles, from punching Brutus in the mouth. Maybe it was wrong of me, but I felt a twinge of pride. The kid dealt a mean left hook.

He glanced at my serious expression with worry. "Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?" I let go of his arm and straightened up.

"No. I'm just going to have a long talk with Brutus's Guardian." I paused. "Why was he... 'teasing_' _you, anyways?"

The kid hung his head shamefully. "I-I tried flying in the fields today, but... it was really bad." He flushed as if he had just divulged some horrible secret. I tried talking to him about how flying works for some angels, but not for larger ones like us, but he didn't seem to feel any better. Really, he should feel proud... not that he had stooped down to Brutus's level, but that he had managed to beat him.

Because Brutus had just graduated from the Academy today, and he was already part of Palutena's army.

...

"Pit? What are you doing?" He was panting and lying on his belly on the floor. There must have been a puddle of sweat larger than Oceanus.

"...Just... doing... some wing... exercises...," he wheezed.

I sighed. "Not again. Your love of flying will be the death of you." Having somewhat caught his breath, he sat up. He had failed his flying exam several times now, but the kid was so determined.

"I just feel like... I've soared before. And if I could just fly high enough, I could reach everything I've ever dreamed of on my own strength." Uh-oh. We were getting into a dangerous topic.

"I don't mean that you shouldn't dream big, but this much foolishness could incite the gods' wrath. You know how touchy they are."

He sighed wistfully. "Yeah..."

I had to admire his work ethic. Meaning, his ethic in working on his flying, not so much on other stuff. In school, he was lazy in everything but sparring and archery, and he still managed to stay on top of things. He was really growing so fast...

...

I ask myself what I'm doing. Because I look at him, and it's not the same. My son was polite and kind and sensitive. My son was smart and everything wonderful. My son did not deserve his fate.

He is nothing like my son. This is different. But I think of the flames and of terrible things, and then I can't help but hope that it really isn't the same.

Maybe this time really will be different.

* * *

Pit clutched at his forehead in an effort to suppress his throbbing headache as he stumbled down the creaking stairs. It had been a mistake to try that wine, but apparently it was imported from the very gardens of Dionysus himself! So of course he had to take just a little taste... though he couldn't really remember what had transpired afterwards. He was pretty sure that he had dreamt about something weird, but even that had managed to slip his mind.

"Look who slept in today." Pit merely grunted at Alex with eyes still squinted nearly shut. Standing by a wooden table, he pulled out a chair that was taller than he was, wincing at the scuffing sound it made against the floor.

"Whuzz for breakfust?"

The Guardian shrugged, plopping bread and cheese on the table. "The usual... oh, and we got another shipment of fruit, too!"

Pit groaned; that could only mean one thing...

"Now I know how much you hate it, but you really do have to eat your eggplant this time. Do you know how expensive they are?," Alex lectured, his hand passing over a drool-inducing bunch of grapes, their skins just about ready to burst with their succulent juice, to instead grasp an ugly, purple lump of eggplant. "They're imported from very far away, after all. And they're good for you!"

Why did Alex have to be such a devout vegetarian? Pit wrinkled his nose, though he seemed to be perking up. "Um... I'll pass, thank you."

"You are not leaving this table until you eat your eggplant."

He sighed exasperatedly. Alex didn't understand; they were so weird! They were fruit, they tasted so bitter, their texture was meaty, and they tasted nothing like eggs. Plus they were purple, which was a girly color. Pit plopped it disgustedly on his plate as if it were something he'd picked off of the ground. Prolonging the inevitable, he started on the bread. Alex gave a satisfied nod and seated himself as well, taking a look at the local news that was passed around daily, squinting at the inky scrawl on papyrus.

"Hoy, doeth it shay anyding aboud Heracles?," Pit piped up excitedly, his mouth still full of bread.

Alex shrugged and replied, "I dunno. Who's Heracles, anyways?" He blinked as Pit gaped at him, which was rather disgusting since he hadn't finished swallowing his mouthful.

"He's only the coolest person ever! I bet everyone knows about Heracles but you, Alex!" Pit winced at his own voice, not having fully recovered from his headache. The Guardian sighed. What was it with kids and their idols? So he fought off a buncha birds... big deal. Now Perseus- _he _was cool. At least, back in the day, he was.

"Isn't he a bad example for kids like you? Didn't he kill his family or something?"

Pit started tearing into his cheese. "But that wasn't really his fault! Hera's just got it out for him!"

"Right." Alex raised his eyebrows as he continued reading. "Ooh, here's coverage on that scandal with Aphrodite and Ares..."

The boy craned his head. "Really? I wanna see!" Alex hurriedly folded the paper and flushed.

"Er, no, I don't think you're quite old enough to read about that yet," he coughed.

"Aw..." By then, Pit had managed to practically inhale everything from the table. "Anyways, I wanna be like Heracles when I'm older... you know, fight some monsters and stuff like that. Maybe even a sea serpent like the Hydra!"

Alex just sighed heavily. He can remember when he was an idealistic kid, too. With a stick as an imaginary sword, he often pretended that he had been the one to cut off Medusa's head rather than the hero Perseus. Though, actually, she managed to even survive her decapitation. After all, she was immortal. Alexander just never imagined that he actually would be involved in a clash against Medusa. And this wasn't for fun or for an adventure or fame. It was to protect all that he came to know and love in Angel Land.

Pit eyed his distracted Guardian cautiously and back at the uneaten eggplant in front of him. "Well, I don't wanna be late for school, so I'll-just-leave-now-bye!" He stood up and mounted off his tall chair, only to be grabbed by the scruff of his tunic.

"Not so fast. You didn't finish your meal." Alex was experienced enough to know his tricks. The boy rolled his eyes. He grabbed the unseemly fruit and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth and glanced back at his Guardian, who nodded approvingly. He sprinted out the door and down a cloudy pathway. When he was sure he was out of sight, he spat it out as he continued to run past different statues.

One of his favorites showed a man wrestling a giant snake, which was right next to a sculpture depicting an angel fighting off several Shemums at once. It was so cool!

Somewhere in his heart, Pit knew that he'd have an amazing adventure, too. But he didn't know just how soon it would begin.

* * *

At the Academy, everyone was buzzing about the news. Major Collin, also the Academy's best flying teacher, had gone missing as of last night.

He had apparently decided to stay at the Academy after hours to tend to its cloudy flying field, where the target hoops were beginning to rust. No one had heard of him since. The adult Centurions had tried to suppress the leak of any information about the incident, but the Academy cadets were sneaky enough to glean one fascinating fact: when investigated by military personnel, they had reported signs of a struggle. Not only that, but some of the top brass, General Miles included, have theorized that whoever was responsible for the Major's disappearance was someone from their side… or at least, pretending to be. In other words, someone who had access to the Academy betrayed the Centurions.

As with all rumors, this piece of news spread like wildfire amongst the gossiping students. It struck chills of doubt into their young minds; after all, the Academy was agreed to be one of the most secure places, save Palutena's Sky Temple, since it was heavily populated with teachers who were also members of the army. Plus Collin was repeatedly refuted as the best flier in Angel Land, and a skilled fighter. If his swift flying didn't lend him enough evasiveness and strength in a fight, surely it would at least allow him to fly away? But evidently even the Major was overwhelmed by… whomever. As for himself, Pit was distraught; he had been one of the last people to see the Major yesterday, and now he was—…

He fidgeted in a seat that was specially designed to fit his abnormally tall body, relatively. Lieutenant Hypatia was halfheartedly explaining the anatomy of a Hydra to the class, but no one was paying her any attention. Even the teacher seemed to be distracted by Collin's alleged kidnapping, though it was really no surprise; every student with social ties knew for years that the Lieutenant and the Major had been having some sort of affair… whatever that meant. But everyone was strictly instructed to go about their daily schedule as if nothing was wrong, to retain as much normalcy as was possible.

Pit scoffed at the idea. There was nothing normal about a teacher just… vanishing! And the adults just wanted everyone else to sit by and do nothing? He was itching to take action—he wanted to know who was behind all this! Besides, there were other whispers going around… the students were worried that the incident wasn't just one isolated occurrence. What if the perpetrator struck again? And why kidnap Major Collin, anyways? He had never made any enemies, and was always extremely patient with others. After all, he hadn't given up on Pit as he struggled to pass even the simplest of flying exams. There were so many questions burning in the young angel's mind! He sighed and squirmed restlessly.

"…but cutting off the heads will only result in more sprouting out in its place, due to the Hydra's regenerative abilities, which in this diagram is demonstrated…" Someone poked Pit in the back. Rotating his torso ever so stealthily, he stretched his arms behind his back in an elaborate yawn. He felt the plunk of a wad of papyrus in his hand. Pit straightened back up and unwound the note that Julius had passed him. He squinted, trying to decode his friend's terrible penmanship, which made his epsilons look like his omicrons.

_I wonder why Major Collin was kidnapped? It's kinda scary, don't you think? Maybe we should try investigating on our own—what say we ditch old man Faustus during next period? _

Pit's pulse quickened. It's as if Julius had read his mind! He hastily scrawled his affirmation and reached to scratch his back, dropping the note on the desk behind him. Astro, who was sitting near the two, noticed their note-passing and sniffed disapprovingly. The blue-haired angel was always so serious about these kinds of things. But it wasn't fair of the adults to keep all the information away from the students, anyways!

...But the more he thought about it, the less the military's actions made sense… Why keep the students at school and act like nothing was wrong? Obviously, the Academy was no longer safe. It should have been cordoned off and properly scoured for clues, as was protocol. Instead, the top Centurions made the decision to act as if nothing was wrong at all. The only mention they had given the case was an assembly that morning. But why? After all, safety is more important than one day of education. As the gears continued to turn in his head, Pit realized that there was something seriously weird going on...

Pit's thoughts were interrupted, however, when a massive, burly god stepped into the classroom, clothed with the hide of the Erymenian boar, which matched his curled, brown beard. Due to his immensity, he barely squeezed his broad shoulders through the enormous threshold. The students finally showed interest and cheered; it was Uranos, the god of the sky! He was the coolest—he always showed the kids tricks, like this one where he breathed fire like the sun! Plus he wasn't as uptight as most other gods. He was also one of the first gods to team up with Palutena, along with Athena, after Angel Land's schism. When he wasn't busy reigning over the sky, he often came by Skyworld to visit and discuss current issues with the Centurion council.

The god stepped short of the Lieutenant, who dully ignored him to robotically read through the class lesson; she was still too preoccupied with her missing lover to focus properly on any one task, it seemed. He coughed politely to gain her attention. When she glanced at him, her eyes were glazed over with melancholy.

"…What are you doing here, Uranos?," she sighed, her usual friendly demeanor having been rubbed raw and abrasive from stress.

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be teaching a class right now. I thought you usually dismissed the kids now for lunch…?"

Pit blinked. Uranos was carrying his weapon, a menacing hammer, which was so immense that only one of his proportions could hope to lift it. Some said that his hammer could create devastating tornadoes or clear all the clouds in the sky with one blow. But it was odd... with the exceptions of sparring classes and archery, no one was allowed to carry weapons around the school. It made sense, though, that some of the adults would feel threatened with all that has happened. Still, he was surprised that a god himself needed such precautions to feel secure...

She shrugged. "We had an assembly this morning, remember? About the… Major…" Her apathy faltered for a moment as her true distress flashed across her face, but she managed to reign in her emotions.

The sky god frowned. "I apologize again. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. I just wanted to catch you to talk about some things… you know, when the students were not, ah, present." At this, Pit perked up. It must be some confidential stuff about the case! Hypatia must have realized the same thing, too; with a gasp, she snapped her book shut.

"Class dismissed!," she breathed hurriedly, shooing the confused cadets out of the classroom. Pit walked out too, but he grabbed Astro and Julius by the arms and dragged them into a crouch behind an ionic column that supported the entryway.

"What are you doing?," Astro hissed.

"Be quiet," Pit warned. "We can't find anything out if we get caught!"

Astro groaned. "Oh no, you guys are gonna get me in trouble again!" Astro's Guardian was always extremely strict; who knows what punishment she would cook up if they got caught eavesdropping on confidential information?

"Don't worry, Astro!" Julius smiled good-naturedly, bobbing his head up and down in excitement. "If they tell our Guardians, we can just run away from home!" Astro sighed at his friend's simple-mindedness.

"Will you guys shut up!," Pit whispered as menacingly as he could. "I think they're saying something!"

It was the Lieutenant's voice. "Did they find anything new? Is the Major-" her voice broke off pitifully, the pain having finally surfaced in her voice. Suddenly, the boys felt as if they should not have been listening... but Pit was even more determined to figure out all that was going on. Everyone wanted Collin to be found. Some even _needed _him to be found.

"Well, we've figured out some new facts..."

"Go on!," the Lieutenant urged, sounding truly desperate. The boys, too, sucked in their breath, waiting for the information.

Uranos's low voice, like the rumblings of thunder, continued. "The investigative team has concluded that, beyond a doubt, the perpetrator has come from and is still in Skyworld. And they also know that he will strike again today." Agitated, Julius hopped up and down. This was big!

"...And Collin? What about him?"

Pit could hear his heart reverberating through his whole body. Finally, some answers! The tension in the air was thicker than a cyclops's bulky body. Now even Astro looked eager to hear the rest, and Julius jittered like he was actually about to explode.

"Well, I can't tell even you everything right now... but," Uranos's voice warmed, "I will be able to let you meet him..." Hypatia gasped, along with the boys. That meant that he was found!

"NO WAY!" Julius was unable to contain himself. His two friends jumped in horror as his painfully loud voice rang through the otherwise silent corridor. Grimacing, Pit knew that there was no way that the adults hadn't heard. He silently cursed his friend's foolishness.

"Poseidon's beard, who on Overworld is that?," Uranos swore as his voice boomed terrifyingly. "Show yourselves now!"

Astro went paler than Hades himself. "W-what do we do? Oh, I knew this was a bad idea!"

"Make a run for it?," Julius chipped in as helpfully as he could. Astro just glared at him. He could at least act remorseful! Sighing, Pit stood up and motioned for his friends to follow. No good would come out of getting a god riled up at them...

Bracing themselves for Uranos's wrath, they stepped sheepishly into the classroom. Pit realized they had really messed up; Uranos was so startled, he had even drawn out his hammer! It was clenched offensively in his enormous fist, though he could have easily flattened the boys without a weapon.

The god looked appalled to see them. "Wha-what are you boys doing here? How much have you heard?," he spluttered indignantly. The Lieutenant glowered at them disapprovingly and put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, what _are _you doing here?," she remarked testily. With everything that had happened today, Hypatia looked like she was on her last nerve. With a start, Pit realized Astro was actually _sweating_. Gross.

Julius just had to pipe up again. "S-sorry! We just wanted to find out what happened to the Major!," he honestly replied. At that, Lieutenant Hypatia's expression softened with understanding.

"I'm not saying that it's okay to listen in on military secrets, but... I guess it's not fair to punish you. It's not like you boys would have done any harm." Astro looked as if he would faint with relief.

Even Pit let out a huge breath. Frankly, the last thing he wanted was a bad mark on his military record; spying on top-secret information could be regarded as treason, which would have meant that the loss of his captain status would have been the least of his worries. Julius just took off and zipped around the room.

"Yippee! Now we don't have to run away from home!" His revelry was cut short, however, when he realized that Uranos had gone from the classroom. "Hey! Where'd Uranos go?"

The others glanced about confusedly. Gods had the most disorienting tendency to leave without a single trace on their whims.

"He can't have gone! He was just about to take me to Collin..." The Lieutenant's expression looked pained with disappointment. "...Well, I suppose I can wait, now that I know he's okay..."

Pit grimaced. By eavesdropping, the boys had interrupted Hypatia's opportunity to be reunited with the Major. "We're really sorry, Lieutenant..." Unsure of what else to do, Pit straightened up and gave her a salute. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"Just get to your next class before you're counted tardy, Captain. You too, Cadets."

* * *

Faustus was an old veteran, even older than the General; he had been fully grown and fought courageously when Medusa and Palutena had raged their battle. His forte was in archery, which was the class he taught. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and his head was completely bald. Needless to say, his vision and hearing had greatly declined in his ripened age, but his aim was still impeccable. The veteran squinted his eye at the scroll of attendance, calling out names.

"Put? Pat, where are you?"

"It's 'Pit', sir," the angel panted as he sprinted out on the open archery field, barely on time. He and his friends had run late, of course, due to their little... delay. Astro and Julius had no trouble getting to the class ahead of him, however, because of their flying abilities. Pit would have flown too, but there was too much risk of him slamming into a column if he tried it indoors.

"I know your name, Poot!," the old man retorted, "I've had you in my class since you were this little." He lowered his hand towards the ground to indicate the height. Somehow, Faustus had the amazing ability to call anyone by anything but their actual name. He must have been going senile.

Corydon, who didn't know of his friends' recent adventure, snickered obnoxiously. It was almost as funny as when Faustus mistakenly called Uranos "Uranus". The word, though it described the most ancient and powerful immortal being to have ever existed, never ceased to amuse the young cadets.

The old man continued by mis-calling out the name of Polydeukes, who was a real jerk. "Polydouche? Are you present?" The class couldn't help but laugh at that. Faustus frowned.

"I don't see what's to laugh about. Taking attendance is very serious." The veteran was unable to regain control over his mirthful students, and unfortunately for them the elderly man's patience was brittler than his bones. With a scowl, he replied, "Fine. If you all want to disrupt my schedule, then we'll go ahead and start the lesson. If someone wants to demonstrate for the class...?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Pit in a silent nomination. He grinned cockily and stood up. "Sure thing. What is it this time?"

Faustus shrugged innocently. "Just get a bulls-eye. Shouldn't be too hard for you." He pointed a bony finger towards a target that was situated so far away that it looked hardly larger than a thumbnail. Without a falter, Pit grabbed an arrow and nocked it.

"No prob!" The arrow glowed in harmony with his confidence. He had managed to graduate to using magic arrows that fed on his energy for a portion of their strength. The more advanced an archer was, the more he could power his arrows with feelings of focus and self-assurance. By doing so, the archer would be able to have more and more control over its trajectory, being able to hit even moving targets. Of course, if one didn't have the inner power that the more advanced arrows required, they would hardly fly at all.

Pit had no such worries, though; this was his element. He was even planning on moving on to bronze arrows, and so on until maybe he was granted permission to use the Light Arrows, one of three sacred weapons that lay in the armory. They were the most powerful and precise, but they required the most power to use. But it was said that if one was able to master them, they could have complete control over their trajectory and would be able to hit anything!

Before Pit could let his arrow loose, Faustus held up a finger. "Just a moment," he rasped in his gravelly voice. "There is one other thing. Since you all decided to be so rude, if he can't beat me in this shot, then you all get an F for today's grade.

The class groaned. Cory stood and yelled, "Don't mess this up!" Astro looked like he was about to barf; he had just managed to escape punishment for eavesdropping, and now he was about to get his first F ever!

The young archer made sure to keep his breathing even. "_Don't get discouraged._" His sharp eyes pinpointed the center of the target, and he let go of the arrow. Everyone watched it fly apprehensively, but Pit knew that the destination of an arrow was never truly determined after it was released; it was all about the journey there. He had to keep focusing. Though it wavered in the afternoon breeze, he managed to keep it on track, and it thudded dead-center into the wooden target.

"Bulls-eye!" Pit jumped up in joy, and the cadets relaxed. Julius even whooped and gave a standing ovation! There was no way the old veteran could beat that.

But to their awe, Faustus did not seem at all concerned. "It's my turn," he said with a grin. Grabbing a golden arrow, which was only less advanced than the Light Arrows, he drew his bow. His leathery hand shook in his old age, which made Pit smile sympathetically. Faustus was just too old.

"Oops, almost forgot." Their teacher lifted up his eyepatch to expose his left eye, and promptly fired. No one expected the arrow to even hit the target with Faustus's abysmal eyesight, which was almost as bad as his hearing, but to everyone's surprise, it hit it. Not only that, but it shredded through the center of Pit's arrow, splintering the wood and landing perfectly in the center of the target as well.

Pit gaped at him. "How did you _do _that?"

The veteran chuckled at his students' shocked expressions. "My bad eye is still good, you know," he wheezed, pointing to his left eye. "Now, I believe that you all get F's for today..."

"W-wait, but that's not fair! We tied!," Pit spluttered, still taken aback by his teacher's competence.

Faustus nodded knowingly. "Exactly. I said specifically that the class wouldn't fail if you beat me. But you didn't; we tied, just like you said."

Again, Pit gawked at his teacher. "You've gotta be kidding!"

"Nope. That was a nice demonstration, though."

The class grumbled as Pit sat back down. He blinked when Julius tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

"Whattaya want?," he whispered while Faustus lectured to the class. He didn't have to keep his voice very quiet, though, due to the veteran's damaged sense of hearing.

"Weren't we gonna sneak out during class to find out more stuff? We're gonna get an F today anyways, so we may as well."

"But you heard Uranos. The Major's okay."

"Yeah but... he didn't say how or why. And why did Uranos decide to disappear all of a sudden? Don't you think that's a little weird?"

Pit had to admit it was. He also felt strangely uneasy about the whole thing. Why couldn't Uranos have just taken Collin to the Lieutenant directly? That would have made a lot more sense. Not only that, but everything in general about today felt... off, somehow.

He glanced at Julius seriously. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about the semi-awkward ending on this chapter; it was originally going to be the first half of one huge chapter, but then I realized that that would be too darn long. Plus, now I can upload the new chapter sooner! Yippee! This one seems to be chock-full of references to Greek Mythology. Really, the mythology in the Kid Icarus games are supposed to be based loosely on the actual mythology, but I thought it'd be pretty cool to try and combine 'em. Anyhoo...**

**Man, do I feel bad for Alex now. His backstory is insanely sad! Though I hope no one's bothered by the excessive OCs, yet again. And the somewhat crude humor that goes on in there. Etc., etc. And I'm sleepy.**

**So... don't count on a very coherent author's note right now. Also, I skimped out on the editing a bit for this chapter, so the quality might not be as good. Hope it was still worth the wait, though! And yeah.**

**Waffles.  
**


	5. The Snake Makes Its Move

Why are heroes so great? Actually, they all have their own shortcomings, which gets them into trouble. But that's what makes their feats such great stories! And what matters is that, in the end, they learn a lesson. Usually it's how they should be more humble, even if they can do some really great things; they should always be respectful and grateful to the gods.

Back then, I never thought a hero could feel sad. They could do anything; if something got in their way, then... bam! They just sweep it out of their way! I really believed that they were the lucky ones.

Now I wonder what makes a hero a hero. Is it just a label? A reputation? Or is it something internal that only you yourself can truly know? I know I can be cocky, but I can't help but feel unsure about that. All I know now is that those stories I've been told when I was little were... off. What they told was true, but they over-glorified killing and war. I don't mind hurting creatures if they're a threat, but sometimes I just feel... really tired.

Tired, but proud?

I love fighting. Everyone says that it's what I was made to do. Still, I can't help but feel a little confused, even now that I'm older... but whatever. I'm sure it'll all make sense when I'm an adult.

* * *

"We are going to get into _so_ much trouble for this, guys!"

"Pshaw! You worry more than my Guardian, Astro. Anyways, these aren't that important... they're just, um, documendoohickies..."

"Corydon, be quiet! Hey Julius, try bringing these papers up to the light."

"Can do!"

Julius beat his wings and elevated the document so that a beam of light from the one pane-less window in the room fell on it. Pit squinted at the inked symbols, scanning for Major Collin's name in any of the most recent military records. For some reason, there was no mention of his disappearance yesterday, nor any indication that he had been found. The Centurions were usually prompt enough to write things down as they happened, so he couldn't understand why something so important was left out...

He sighed and shook his head. "This one doesn't say anything, either." Julius's buzzing wings sank in disappointment, and he flit upwards to the top of the shelf where all the major army files were kept. It was so tall, that he was a mere blot in the inky darkness as he rose to the correct shelf's height and painstakingly slid the paper back in its place.

The boys had already searched into the Major's past to see if he really had made any enemies or had reason to be targeted, but they just drew more blanks. Astro impatiently shifted where he sat.

"Listen, guys, maybe we should call it quits for today..."

Cory frowned at him. "C'mon Astro, don't be a chicken. You agreed to come with us, so now you stick with us. It's, like, a law or something."

For once, Pit agreed with Cory. "We still haven't found out anything. I wanna know _why_ this whole thing happened in the first place."

The harassed angel kept glancing at the doorway nervously. "Yeah, I'm as curious as you all are, but if we get caught like last time, then my Guardian will cook my wings for dinner! Besides, the adults seem to have things under control now...," he added hopefully. "I mean, Uranos said that the Major was found and all..."

Pit shook his head. "I know, but why can't we all see the Major right _now_? Anyways, there's no way we'll get caught. Everyone's attending or teaching classes right now."

The moment he finished speaking, a stone tablet toppled from the shelf right above him and conked his head. Corydon chuckled, though not meanly so.

"Ouch! Julius, be more careful on your way down! I don't need another concussion." He winced at rubbed at the growing lump on his scalp.

The excitable angel landed indignantly. "That wasn't me! I swear!" The young captain looked at his friend skeptically.

"Well who else could it be-"

"_G-g-guys-s_...?" The boys turned their attentions to Astro, who had turned paler than his ivory wings. His mouth flapped open like those of the gluttonous Micks from the Overworld, and his eyes were stretched out larger than two discuses. "H-has th-th-that-t alw-ways been-n th-ther-re?"

Pit followed his friend's gaze, which was staring to the spot right above his head, from which the offending tablet had fallen. Craning his neck awkwardly, he suddenly realized why his friend was so upset.

He found himself nose-to-nose with a snake whose acid-yellow eyes glared at him hungrily. Despite the obscuring darkness, he could see that the snake was clearly large enough to have been able to swallow him as easily as a hippo could swallow a grape. Time seemed to freeze in that long moment, and Pit could have sworn his heart stopped.

With wide eyes, he watched the snake suddenly rear back its head faster than Zeus could throw a lightning bolt, but to Pit it was as if everything was moving through syrup. His heart resumed pumping fervently, as if trying to make up for lost time, and he leapt out of the way in an instant that felt like an eternity. The serpent struck out in a blur, but its fangs sank into empty air. As Pit jumped, he tackled down Julius, who was right next to him, and the two boys thudded hard onto the floor.

"Run, guys!," he shouted, suddenly hoping that the adults caught them in the file room. Corydon didn't need telling twice and roughly grabbed Astro's arm to drag away the petrified angel. The snake hissed angrily at having missed and emerged from its hiding spot on the shelf, its enormous body pouring down to the floor and knocking over more tablets. Its head swayed from side to side and its tongue flickered in and out.

Pit and Julius scrambled to their feet, the latter hovering off the floor, and had to dive out of the way once more as the snake focused in their direction. It darted its head forward with its mouth outstretched and withdrew back in when it realized it missed again. In frustration, it turned its head side to side, wondering where its prey had disappeared to.

The boys huddled behind a large desk in silence, not wanting to take any chances that might turn them into the snake's meal. Where had it come from, anyways? Shuddering, Pit could hear its tongue taste the air in a soft whisper and its body rustle across the floor. It almost sounded as if it was getting closer, though it couldn't _really_ have been, or not on purpose, anyways; they were definitely out of sight, and it's not as if it could smell where they were-

"_Sss_..." The tongue flicked out again. Pit jumped to his feet as he remembered something that he learned from the Lieutenant's class.

"Pit, are you crazy? It's gonna see you!" Astro stared at his friend in horror, suddenly displeased with his unnatural tallness.

Pit yanked his friends up frantically as the serpent pulled in. "Guys, it can still smell us with its tongue! It already knows where we are!" No sooner had he said that when the snake's head rounded to where the angels were hidden, its tongue still vibrating in the air. It was so close, its tongue brushed against Astro's arm, who leapt back as if burned.

"Take this, jerk!" Cory floated up over it and grabbed a nearby stone tablet, dropping it on top of the snake's flat head. Though stunned, the snake was only more irritated and lashed out with its thick tail, striking the blond angel in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards through the air until he hit the shelf behind him.

"Cory!" Julius zipped to his friend in alarm, who was curled up and clutching his abdomen in pain, only to be whipped across the head by the serpent's tail as the monster circled back to face Pit. The sheer immensity of the snake lent the blow such power as to knock the young cadet out cold. The energetic angel fell to the floor on his side, for once completely still.

Watching his friends fall, Pit started forward to their aid, only to be cut off by the serpent's scaly body. Its head curved in a twisted dance as it focused on the young captain. He tensed and darted to the right, hoping to make it past the snake right under its nose, when it lowered its head and stretched open its mouth, revealing the curved ivory fangs that sprang from fleshy pink folds. He instantly hopped backwards and sprang to the left, and the serpent intercepted his attempts again. Pit glared at the creature, becoming increasingly frustrated with his helplessness. His friends needed him!

Through the dim space of the file room, he heard Astro's despairing wail. "Pit! H-hurry... b-blood is-s com-ming out of Cor-ry's mouth! I-I don't know w-what to d-do!"

The young captain glanced past the bulky snake to see Astro, who must have snuck past while the snake was distracted, clutching at Cory and simultaneously reaching for the unconscious Julius, struggling to lift them up. He could pick out the faintest glimmer of gold that pierced through the grayness. Pit paled in horror. His friends were bleeding! What if they were dying? His head reeled at the thought, and his legs suddenly froze to the polished floor. The snake eyed him warily, curious as to his lack of movement, and prepared to strike the distracted angel.

Before it hit, though, Pit leapt out of the way, and the snake sent its own head crashing into a bookcase, causing all sorts of scrolls and tablets to plummet down. With his fists clenched, the young angel knew that he would never let a stupid snake k-... hurt his friends! It was so annoying, though, that the snake kept going after him...

Pit frowned. Watching the serpent shake the documents off of its bruised head, he stomped hard on the ground; he recalled that snakes were supposed to hear through the ground, or something.

"Over here, stupid!"

The monstrous reptile faced him and hissed angrily. Perfect. Experimentally, Pit feigned a run to the right once more, and the snake closed in on him like last time. Movements in any other directions yielded the same results. Sure enough, the snake was only after him.

"Astro!," Pit called out, "Go and get help! I'll lead the snake away!" Without waiting for his friend's response, he turned and ran towards the single large window, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that the serpent was giving chase. It was.

"Pit! What are you doing?" Astro stared at his friend incredulously.

"Just get out of here!" Without giving it a second thought, Pit hurled himself out the window and landed roughly on the courtyard outside, inwardly thankful that they were on a ground floor. No sooner had he resumed running when the snake squeezed itself outside as well, the marble and concrete chipping where its thick body pushed through. "Come and get it, scaly-butt!" Furious, the monster lunged at the angel and pursued him down a cloudy slope.

Breathing heavily, Pit stumbled in a haphazard descent, barely weaving between the many columns and buildings that littered the area; after all, this was Skyworld's capitol. The snake, however, picked up speed as its body wrapped around and pushed off the objects for leverage. Lunging forward, it snapped at Pit's wings and grazed the fluff from one of his feathers. He grimaced; now that his friends were safe, Pit reflected that provoking the snake probably wasn't the best idea. He started running even faster, pushing past a lady who was bartering at the market.

"Sorryscusemelookout!" He grabbed the shoulder of her robes and threw her stumbling backwards, and she fell on her rear end on a vegetable kart with a squeal.

"Pit! What's gotten into you?," she exclaimed and began picking herself up from amongst the squished olives only to be thrown back again as the snake rushed past.

Feeling the snake catch up at last, Pit leapt as high as he could and the serpent slid by just under his feet. He yelped as he landed roughly on his bottom on top of the snake's midsection and was carried with it like a leaf on a river. As the young captain rubbed at his tailbone, the snake snarled at him and twisted its body into writhing coils in an attempt to buck him off. Pit clung on for dear life as the snake blindly rampaged throughout the agora, crashing into buildings and barreling over civilians. With a slap of its tail, it crushed a fruit stand and the merchant jumped back fearfully.

"Pit? Do you, uh, need any help?," he asked tentatively, looking morosely at his crushed eggplants.

"I'm a captain! I can handle it!," Pit hollered back, the serpent hissing menacingly and trying to crane its head back to bite him. "Sorry about your eggplants! ...Well, not really, actually-eagh!"

The snake finally managed to shake him off, sending him flying until the angel fell on his rear on the stone walkway.

"Why does that keep happening?," he grumbled. His butt was really starting to hurt! The civilians gathered around the spectacle, gasping in horror as the serpent reared back its head, towering over him. Pit glanced around in panic. There was nowhere left to run, and he was completely weaponless.

"What am I supposed to do, _bite_ it?," he exclaimed sarcastically. The angel flinched when the snake smugly bore its fangs, preparing for the final blow...

Then a sudden spray of dark blood spattered everyone. Pit gagged and made a face. He was completely soaked! The townspeople were screaming and running off in similar revulsion, slipping on the red-black mess as they tried to shake it off of their clothes. The angel frowned at the pandemonium. The civilians sure weren't very disciplined... But who...?

He rubbed to clear his sticky eyes to get a better look at his surroundings. In astonishment, he saw the snake had been cleaved in two!

"You okay?"

Pit looked up and grinned at the man who stood in front of him. "Alex!" He jumped up happily, taking care not to slip and fall. The young angel hugged his Guardian around the waist- he liked that there was _someone_ taller than him. "Ew, you're all bloody too!"

Alexander patted the boy on the head and sheathed his dripping greatsword. Though his face looked gentle, his voice was dead serious. "What's going on? What happened here?"

"Uh..." Pit withdrew from the embrace and frowned. "The weird snake came from nowhere while me and Astro and Cory and Julius were looking through some doc- er, I mean, while we were in class, and..."

He slapped his forehead in realization. "Oh no, I almost forgot about them! Alex, come quick, they need help-" Pit tugged hurriedly on his Guardian's hand, pulling him towards the Academy.

The two angels ran off from the scene, where the market was still in chaos. The vendors complained about the destruction of their merchandise, while the townspeople were already arguing over who would have to clean up everything. In the midst of this confusion, however, no one seemed to notice that the snake's rather conspicuous body had disappeared without a trace.

* * *

"Oh, no, Tanatos, don't be sorry," Medusa crooned to her exhausted snake. "You poor baby. Come here..."

She held out a green hand towards the bleeding serpent, planning to wreak her vengeance on the fool who decided to cut it up like that. At least the two halves of its body were starting to mesh back together. It would never die since it was a part of her, which made it immortal as well. Tiredly, it slunk towards her arm and shrank significantly in size, winding up over her shoulder and sprouting once more from her head in its original size.

It hissed what must have been another apology, for Medusa replied, "But it wasn't your fault that he got away. I've tried time and again to kill that brat, but he just won't die. It's because of that stupid prophecy... I just can't find any loopholes! I'm not even directly attacking him, but he still manages to survive..."

The malevolent goddess bit at her fingernails in distress. She was so close! Her army was rebuilt, her powers had finally regenerated, and even as she sat on her throne of skulls her double-agent was setting her plans into motion within the ranks of the angels. The only loose end was that infuriating boy! If she couldn't dispose of him before tonight, then those centuries of plotting would be put to waste. Of course, she had one more trick left up her sleeve, which was a bit more desperate; it was nearly fool-proof, however.

Those idiotic angels had tried to be prepared for her next attack, but as Medusa scanned her Seeing Torch, she knew that it would still be weeks before they were ready; they had overestimated the time it would have taken for her to recover and gather enough resources for an attack. Their predictions would have been right, actually, if there weren't a traitor amongst them, giving them false information and supplying Medusa with valuable facts.

It was the perfect time to act.

With a wave of her hand, the goddess applied her black magic on her body, undergoing a transformation that would not have been possible for mortals. She grinned wickedly in her new form.

If she couldn't kill the boy, then she'd get him to do it himself.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry! Gomen! Mien! Lo siento! Waaahh! I can't believe how late this chapter is... it's been what, over two weeks? I could write up a list of reasons/excuses, but that'd get tedious real fast. In short, life had to be lived more than usual, and... yeah. But gosh darn it, it feels so good to be back! I also apologize for the relative shortness of this chapter; it was originally over eight thousand words, but I decided to cut out some parts and replace others, and over half of this chapter was removed (I'm planning on using it for the next chapter). I'd like to post chapters in the bulkiness that I normally do to keep the flow of the story going, but with school going full-throttle and events coming up, they might stay in smaller portions for a while.**

**Oh Medusa, you nefarious mastermind! But really, I'm starting to love this character. In my opinion, good stories need good villains! I wonder what'll happen next? Stay tuned for the next episode of... okay, I'll stop now. Just be patient for a little while longer!**

**Speaking of which, sorry to keep you waiting! (Hm, now where have we heard that line before?) But seriously, I get these awesome reviewers and all I do is sit on my butt. I never want to submit a chapter this late again! But if I want to get at least four hours of sleep a day, this might not always be possible- my workload fluctuates each week, so productivity will vary as well, unfortunately. Bleah! Anyways, if I don't update in a while, don't lose hope! I'd resolved to finish this story as soon as I had started it, and everything that happens up 'til the end have been planned out. Plus I'm as excited as you all hopefully are to see this story out to the end!**

**Also, I realized that I had forgotten to address the reviews I had gotten for the chapter before the last chapter in the last chapter! ...What? Anyways, after I upload this I'll reply to your reviews individually from now on, since I don't wanna clutter up the chapters or make it confusing.**

**And on a final note... thanks thanks thanks! Now time to do the work I've been procrastinating on!  
**


	6. Memories

The air in Skyworld was searing; even the sun's rays seemed sluggish in the heat, falling especially heavily that day. Waves of steam rippled from the baked marble structures of the city. Sweat was rolling down my face and back, and I spread my wings over my head for shade and to deflect the light with their white feathers. I wished that some clouds would give us shade, but seeing as to how we were sort of living on _top_ of the clouds, it didn't seem likely. I stopped to stare at an ornate fountain that sputtered dryly, wistfully wondering what rain would feel like. I felt a tug on my hand.

"Don't get distracted, Pit. Let's get home quickly so we can stay in the shade." I craned my neck to look up at Alex. He normally stooped down to my level to talk, but he was too exhausted even for that. He was breathing heavily, and his black hair was matted and sticky.

I pouted. "But I wanna go to the temple! Palutena said she'd tell me a story..."

Wearily, Alex raised his arm to swipe the sweat from his brow. "Not today, kiddo. The temple's pretty far from here..."

"Not if we fly!"

He looked at me oddly. "Bad idea."

"But I've been getting better! Really!" I let go of his hand and squinted as my wings fell and the sun was let through. I began thrashing my wings up and down and rose unsteadily. I lacked the coordination and grace that my classmates had, but at least I could get off the ground for a bit.

"Pit, get back here!," Alex shouted in alarm, and just as a self-satisfied grin spread on my face, I felt a firm grasp wrap around my ankle and drag me down.

"Hey! What was that for?," I protested.

Alex's face was flushed. "Don't go flying off by yourself! What if a stranger comes and-"

"Like that'll happen." I rolled my eyes. Alex was such a baby! "And if it does, then... wham! Bam! I'll beat him up!" I struck my fists through the air for emphasis.

"I'm sure. Now hang on, this street is pretty busy..." He reached out for my hand again, our palms both sweaty from the heat. Yuck! At least the back-drafts from the whizzing traffic provided a breeze. I closed my eyes for a moment, sighing as the wind cooled my face.

"Chariot!" Alex yanked me aside as a winged horse pulling its burden blurred past. The traffic here was always horrendous; at this rate, the council was even considering making speed limits. "Watch the road, fat-head!," he snapped, but the only one to hear him was the dust the offender left behind. "Pit, don't dawdle next time."

"Yeah, okay." I stuck out my tongue, which was raspy and dry.

Finally, we managed to touch down on safe ground more or less unscathed. Up above, there were groups of angels that soared carefree at altitudes I could only dream about. They didn't even have to walk anywhere or worry about crossing the street.

"Heads up!" I blinked from my daydream to see a red ball hurtling towards me from the sky. Alex reflexively stuck his arm in front of me, effectively blocking the projectile, and I clumsily caught it on rebound.

"Nice catch! Sort of." Several cadets glided down next to us. "Toss it here!" One of them waved his arms eagerly.

Alex frowned. "Shouldn't you boys be playing more carefully? This ball is really heavy, and it nearly beaned someone in the head!"

"Just take it like a man!" They were no older than I was, but they puffed themselves up proudly. The effect wasn't all that impressive, since I was already a head taller than them. "Bruises are all a part of Airball! It's fun!"

Fun?

"Can I play too?," I piped up excitedly. At the same time, Alex vigorously shook his head.

"Pit, we're late. C'mon."

"What, late to go home?," I asked sarcastically. "Please, Alex? I've never even played this game before!"

One of them gawked in disbelief. "You're an _angel_ and you haven't played _Airball_? What cloud have _you _been living under?"

"Relax, it's just the new kid!" A boy with blonde hair and a black eye pushed past to meet me. "I remember you! You're that kid that can't fly!" I took offense at that.

"You mean the one that clocked Brutus a few months ago?" The group of angels eyed me with new interest.

I inflated a little. "Yup! And I _can_ fly." I shot the rude boy a glance and he shrugged.

"Pit! No, you can't," insisted Alex. I stared at him, feeling betrayed.

"Can too! You just won't let me!"

"Oooooohhhhh!," the boys called out, sensing an argument and giving us their full attention. Alex's ears turned bright red.

Alex exhaled with frustration and closed his eyes. "Listen, this is for your own good. If you play, you're just going to hurt yourself." Alex said it in a tone that wasn't demeaning, but it still felt terrible to hear. I heard some derisive snickers from the others and I felt myself flush hot with embarrassment.

"You don't know that!," I snapped back almost defensively.

Displeased with my tone of voice, he drew himself up and retorted, "Well, we're _not_ going to find out!"

"I know I can do it!," I shouted, not caring how dwarfed I was by his stature.

At that, Alex laughed angrily. For a flash of that moment, I saw a hidden fury in his eyes... and a hidden fear. "You mean, you_ think_ you can do it! Everyone thinks you can and they brush it off, like it's not their problem anymore now that you're here, but what if you can't? Then what?" He gestured helplessly, and I wasn't sure what he was talking about anymore. It suddenly came to me that this wasn't just about Airball, but I couldn't put my finger on what else exactly. "But you really don't know anything!"

And as he said that, there was the rush of wind in my ears and the salty smell of what must have been the ocean and the far-off blur of someone I once knew, and for once I was free, free, to see the world and reach for the sky that was once so unattainable; but then I was sinking, and something warm and gooey was oozing from my wings onto my arm-

"Pit? Are you with me?"

I blinked rapidly, feeling as though I had just traveled a very long distance... as if there really were things that I should've known, but I didn't. "Huh?"

Alex looked me up and down with dogged concern. "That does it. You're clearly not in the right mind- it must be from the humidity. You're not playing." I scowled; he had chosen the wrong time to get back on topic. What was with him, anyways? He wasn't normally like this...

And again my mind flew far away and I remembered dark, and trapped, and lonely, and I didn't want that. Something inside me fought desperately- not for Airball, but for light and friends and freedom.

Defiantly, I raised the red ball in my hands and chucked it at the nearest player. He grunted as he caught it in his stomach and some of the wind got knocked out of him. "I _am_. So just... go away." I stomped towards the playing field, not giving Alex a second glance.

"Pit? ...Pit! Get back here! PIT! Don't you walk away from me! March yourself right back here! I swear, you're going to be in so much trouble!"

I turned back, looked him in the eye, and blew the most obnoxious raspberry I could muster. Then I continued on my way.

"Well, fine! If that's the way you want it, then you can just walk home by yourself! And you are so not getting any dinner!," Alex fumed and extended his wings to fly, thought better of it, and quickly walked away, grumbling how if I sprained something then it would be my own fault.

Watching his retreating figure, I sighed as the anger seeped out of me. It felt good right now, but I knew I'd be in for it when I got home.

"Dude, that was awesome! You sure showed him!" I gasped in pain as the blonde angel from earlier clapped me on the back with gusto. "For a flightless chicken, that took guts, man!"

My feathers bristled. "I _can_ fly. And my name's Pit. Remember? We're in the same flight class- you know, where I punched Brutus?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm Cory." In a display of bravado, he promptly spat in his hand and extended it for a handshake. I tentatively reached forward, as mentally I heard Alex lecture me about germs.

"Ooh, let me do it!"

From the group of players who had began a game without us, a scruffy dark-haired cherub sprang forward and closed his hand on Cory's with a squelch, effectively rescuing my hand.

"Julius, what the Underworld! Leggo of me!" Cory wrenched his arm away. The angel named Julius grinned enthusiastically.

"Aw, but I forgot to spit, too! Here, gimme back your hand." With a snort, he hacked out some rather gooey saliva onto his hand and reached forward to grab Cory's again.

"Ugh, man, no!" Cory dodged and hid behind me, pushing me forward in his place. "Here, Arm-Pit hasn't shook yet!"

Before I knew what was going on, Julius grasped my hand and sealed our handshake with his... spit. Well, I hoped that most of it was only spit...

"Gee... thanks... Julius, was it?" I stared at my slimy hand, and promptly wiped it on Cory's tunic. Sweet revenge.

"Hey, what was that for?" Julius and I burst out laughing as Cory bent down and tried to wipe his tunic off on the ground. "Gross!"

I grinned mischievously. "What goes around comes around!"

"Oh, you are dead meat!" The blonde angel tackled me down and we started wrestling, kicking dust at each other and snickering. Julius grinned.

"That looks like fun!" He promptly piled on top of us, making the tussle all the more confusing. It wasn't long before we crashed into a heavily padded creature and knocked it into the ground as well.

"Ahh! What are you guys doing?"

From my position on the ground, he looked upside-down, making his appearance all the more confusing. He was covered head-to-toe in various swaths of cloth and pillows, shaped like a squashed bunch of grapes. It was only after seeing his blanketed (presumed) wings that I realized that he was a cherub.

Cory cocked his head and squinted at the figure as it straightened up, using its lumpy arms to clumsily dust itself off. "Is that Astro, the boy wimp?"

Julius chuckled. "Who else would show up at the playing field looking like _that_?"

I stared in bewilderment as the kid untied the ropes holding his conglomeration of padding together and emerged, his blue hair plastered with sweat.

"Whew, it was so hot in there! Did you guys think I _wanted_ to wear all that stuff?"

Cory kicked at one of the pillows with amusement. "Yeah, it's not your fault your old lady has you whipped! What, did she think you'd break your pinkie or something?"

I grinned. "Man, and I thought _Alex _was bad..."

Astro looked at me and blinked in some recognition. "Hey, you're Pit!"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Uh..." He scuffed at the ground strangely. "We must have shared a class or something."

Julius zoomed in uncomfortably on my face, and it seemed that he recognized me too. "Oh, so you're Pit! That's why you looked so familiar!" I blinked in puzzlement.

"Er..."

Cory sniffed. "Of course he's Pit! Didn't you hear me say his name?"

"But you said he was Armpit! Which would've been a really cool name..."

I was seriously confused by this point. Astro seemed to notice and promptly kicked Cory on the leg.

"Ow! Cut it out!"

The blonde angel frowned indignantly as Astro warned, "You remember your little mistake a while back? You know, the whole... um, girl thing?"

"...Oh."

I wasn't sure why, but Cory seemed to shut down rather impressively and Julius couldn't stop snickering.

It wouldn't be until later when my friends would decide to tell me about Cory's mix-up. At first I took offense, but I thought it was hilarious too. He would never live it down.

Not that I wasn't teased, either; that day, as we finally started to play Airball, I played infamously bad; whatever team I was on, I made them lose. Astro did end up getting hurt- he stubbed his pinkie finger on the red ball and had to sit out for the rest of the game. Cory called him even more of a chicken than I was, and I called Cory a cow, and he called me an armpit again, and Julius happily called himself Droolius, and we all laughed.

As for Alex's prediction, I didn't get a scratch, even if my playing was abysmal. Though we made up when I got home, I would never forget his words or the scraps of memory that I recovered. Just what did it all mean? But he wouldn't say a word.

It was all right though; the day had been unbearably hot, but at least I wasn't alone anymore. It would be a long time, after all, until I felt like I belonged...

* * *

The two angels ran through the Academy halls at an even pace, the claps of their sandals resounding in the tall ceilings. Alexander scowled unhappily as Pit quickly went over what had happened when the snake attacked him and his friends. The Guardian kept a firm grip on Pit's shoulder, as if he thought the young captain would vanish into thin air.

"Where did the snake come from?," Alex had interrogated, his brow furrowed.

"I don't know! You already asked me," Pit answered exasperatedly. Really, he was curious too, but that wasn't the problem here! His heart thumped worriedly; the last time he had seen his friends, they were badly hurt, and Astro looked as if he was hardly able to drag them to the doorway. Would they be alright?

"And I told you, I'm fine! I'm not a kid," he muttered, shrugging off his Guardian's hand.

"Yes, you are. And what on Overworld were the teachers doing when the snake attacked?"

At that, Pit coughed. He hadn't really told Alex what he had _really_ been up to that day. "Er, we were going to the bathroom, so they didn't see."

As they rounded a corner, Alex raised his eyebrows. "All of you? At the same time?"

"Yeah." Pit averted his Guardian's gaze; he knew Alex could tell when he was bluffing. "Anyways, we're here." He changed the subject hurriedly, relieved to see the nurse's office. He ran in without knocking and blurted thoughtlessly, "Where are they?"

She turned in her chair to respond with a smile, though she looked unusually pale. "Why helloooooaiieegh!," the Academy nurse screamed shrilly as she took in the dark red, half-congealed bloody mess that enveloped Pit and Alex; in their hurry, they weren't able to clean away any of the snake's gore. The young captain promptly clapped his hands over his ears. The nurse shed a trail of aggravated feathers as she rushed forward, appearing somewhat comical as her scream slowly ebbed away while her mouth still hung wide open.

"Er... hi," Pit responded to her half-greeting tentatively. He gulped as she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, lifting up his arms and wings and prodding at his abdomen.

"Oh my gods! Not you too," she wailed dramatically, "your blood isn't even glowing! Is he dying?" She frantically turned to Alex, who blinked and held up his hands in an attempt to calm her; it didn't work, as she saw the blood that covered him as well. "Eek! And look at you! What is Skyworld coming to? It's just been one after another!"

Pit grasped the nurses arms to keep them from continuing to turn him around in examination. "W-what do you mean, 'one after another'?," he stammered in alarm. "Where are Cory and Julius and Astro? Did they find you alright?"

"Never mind for now, you must be in critical condition!," she protested as the young angel managed to squirm away from her uncomfortable clutches.

"I'm fine! It's not my blood- long story- but I'm fine! And Alex is too!"

"...Oh..." Instead of embarrassed or apologetic, the nurse suddenly looked extremely tired from her outburst, and the fine lines that criss-crossed her brow became more visible. With a heavy sigh, she sank down onto the floor where Pit and Alex had tracked red traces. "Thank goodness..."

Alexander regarded her somberly. "Are the boys all right?"

She frowned at the two and shook her frazzled orange head in a way that indicated neither yes or no. "It's nothing deadly, but it's not pretty. Perhaps it'd be easier to explain if you saw..."

She tottered wearily to her feet and led them from her office into the ward. "I just don't understand what could have hurt such young boys... even if we train them from infancy to fight...," the nurse murmured sorrowfully as they walked.

Pit cocked his head, unsure of what the nurse was getting at, but Alexander nodded in comprehension and clapped his hand on the boy's shoulder.

The nurse pursed her lips and ushered them into the next room. Pit swallowed hard, worried for his friends' well-being, and stepped forward urgently. Inside the room was Astro, who stood from his chair immediately when he saw his friend walk in.

"P-p-pit-t-t-t-t! Y-yo-u'r-re a-al-li-iv-ve-e!" The blue-haired angel smiled weakly.

The young captain grinned back, but inwardly winced upon seeing his friend. Laying at Astro's feet was a small pile of downy feathers that jittered in the slightest drafts, looking as shaken to pieces as their owner. His wings looked as if they had been plucked, the pockmarked bony framework clearly visible now. His entire complexion had become ashen, and his knees knocked together uncontrollably.

Astro must have noticed the pained expression on Pit's face, because he hurriedly folded his bare wings behind his back and spread his legs apart in a more stable stance. "D-d-don-n-n't wo-o-or-ry-y a-ab-b-bo-ut-t m-m-m-me! I-I did-d-dn't-t g-g-get-t h-hur-rt-t, th-tha-anks-s-s to-o yo-u-u."

"Ugh..." A sickly voice emanated from a curtained cot, making both cherubs jump in surprise. "Izzat you, Arm-Pit?"

"Cory!" The young captain hastily drew back the curtain to find the blonde angel recumbent, his skin lacking the normal faint tinge of gold. "You okay?"

"Of course." The haughty angel tried to sit up straight, only to seize up and cough violently, small drops of golden blood spattering from his mouth. The nurse rushed to him in alarm, leaning him back down on the bedding. Pit merely stared at him in horror.

"I told you not to move!," the nurse scolded. "You're bleeding on the inside. I've treated you to the best of my knowledge, but we need a healer to do the rest," she explained, fluffing up Corydon's pillow.

The normally stuck-up angel winced apologetically as Astro and Pit eyed him fearfully, as if he were going to spontaneously combust. "C'mon, guys, it's no big deal... Plus, I heard that chicks dig injured guys." He gave a frail smile.

"Well, I dunno if they like guyth with mithing teeth," piped up a rather cheerful voice, with odd whistles.

Cory grinned. "Yeah, check out Julius! If only there were some god that exchanged teeth for money or something, then he'd be rich!"

The nurse tutted at the boys' out-of-place enthusiasm as she pulled back the white curtains surrounding Julius's bed. He beamed at his friends as if the terrifying events of that day had not happened. "Hey guyth! Gee, Athtro, you look worthe than Cory, and you didn't even get hit!" More whistles sounded from the gaps in his mouth where his baby teeth had been, and some slight spittle flew out. Astro self-consciously twitched his naked wings.

Pit smiled genuinely. "Julius, you don't seem hurt that bad!," he noted with relief. The nurse sighed, propping up the hyper, scruffy angel gingerly.

"He's had a concussion, and his teeth were knocked out. Though he seems stable, I'm going to monitor him for a while."

Julius chirped, "Yeah, I got a concussion just like you, Pit! Wanna feel the bump?" He inclined his head, welcoming his friends to touch the welt on his scalp, which they politely declined. All three friends sighed, as if in agreement that Julius didn't need any more holes knocked into his excitable head.

The nurse pushed Julius's head back onto his pillow. "You should rest, too." She ran a hand through her straggles of bright orange hair, looking at the boys as if they were on their deathbeds. "You should probably go home, too," she nodded to Astro, who jumped a little. "You can go with Alexander and Pit, and I'll send someone to accompany you; I don't want any other monsters going after you."

The blue-haired angel nodded shakily and started across the room without a word. Pit watched him carefully, afraid he would collapse on his quaking legs. Frankly, the young captain did not want to leave Cory and Julius in the state they were in, but he had to make sure Astro got home all right; he was a captain, after all, and Centurions always looked after their men.

But Pit's wings sank after saying goodbye to Cory and Julius as he met up with Alex at the doorway, trotting away from the clinic with Astro in tow; he was supposed to be a captain (which meant he was practically an adult!) but he couldn't even keep his friends safe...

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow. Just wow. How long has it been since I've last updated? That's right. FOREVER. I'm not even going to apologize; this is inexcusable. But on the upside, I HAVE been sleeping a bit more. Hm.**

**As anyone can plainly see, consistency is going to take some work until I get my second wind back. Oh welllllllllllllllll...**

**But enough about that!**

**Like most of my other chapters, this one was going to have a lot more going on in it, but I had to take that stuff out and put it in the next chapter as I started getting more and more detailed. Unfortunately, this means that there isn't much action going on in here- not even major plot development! What is this world coming to? But please bear with the boring for now; character development is important too. And I promise, something BIG is happening next... but what could it be? I guess you'll just have to wait and find out! Hehehe.**

**And also, thanks so much for those of you who reviewed and kept so patient! I know the holidays were long past, but I hope you all enjoyed them! Finally, any pointers are, as per usual, welcome. So yeah. Can't wait for the next chapter!**


	7. Betrayal

**Author's Note: Yikes! This has been the longest I've gone without updating! This is terrible! But I'm afraid there likely won't be more updates until summer... school is such a bummer. ...And the time for rhymes has ended.**

**Bleah. Lots of dialogue.**

**As per usual, I hope that this chapter was entertaining and stuff. Thanks once more to my amazing readers/reviewers who make this even more than worthwhile! I can't wait until the main plot gets moving... This story is already getting much denser than I originally intended, but I love seeing how it evolves.**

**And with that... Enjoy! And have a Happy Easter, even if you don't celebrate it!**

* * *

I cried a lot more when I was younger.

I remember one occasion; the world would blur substantially each time a fresh wave of tears would well up in my eyes. In-between sobs, I'd memorize some more of the dark-veined design of the reflective marble floor.

"What is the matter, Pit?," wafted an angelic voice. I looked up from where I was crouched to see Palutena appear amongst the marble columns of her sacred temple. I hastily wiped at my face.

"N-nothin'..."

She smiled knowingly, and I could feel the warmth radiate from her. I immediately relaxed. She soothed, "It is not a shame to cry. Even warriors must shed a tear every now and then."

I sniffled and gave a choked laugh. "I guess... Like how Alex cries whenever we go to the theatre?"

She giggled in that serene manner of hers. "Precisely. Now, tell my why you have been crying in my temple."

Palutena sat herself down regally on a polished, ornate bench and motioned for me to sit next to her.

My tears subsiding, I shuffled closer and muttered, "It's just that some of the kids are teasing me again. And not like the kind that Cory and the others use," I added hastily, "but the meaner kind. I don't like it."

"Children can be crueler than they intend to be," she sighed as I plopped down by her side.

"Palutena, why am I so different, anyways?," I asked. "Me 'n Alex... we're not even supposed to be angels in the first place." It was something that I always knew but never really questioned until then. But there was a lot of talking behind my back by even the adults, and it was hard not to pay attention to it anymore...

At this, her expression clouded substantially. "Pit... do you like it here?"

I blinked at the odd question and nodded earnestly. "I love this place! I mean, yeah, I get teased, but I still have some friends. Anyways, this is my home." After a short pause, I murmured, "I know that I'd do anything to protect the people here. And you," I added with a grin.

Palutena smiled and patted my head. "I am glad to hear it. I look forward to the day when you will serve under me." Her expression remained somewhat preoccupied, but I thought little of it at the time.

"Palutena!," hollered a hoarse voice. A Centurion, clad in golden armor, emerged from the temple's inky darkness and swooped down into a kneel before her. "There's an emergency! Some Micks from the Overworld have made it to the village and are trying to eat the humans there!"

She nodded authoritatively. "Has an extermination team already been deployed?"

"Yes, ma'am, but the Micks have them outnumbered; we're gonna need reinforcements."

"Go to the Brigadier General. You can find him teaching at the Academy."

"Thank you." He shot me a dirty look before taking off in a blur.

I frowned. "Palutena, why did he look so mean?"

"Ah, that soldier? He must have been jealous."

"Jealous?" I wrinkled my nose. "Of you or me?"

She smiled. "Of you. It is unusual for a mortal to receive such devoted attentions from a goddess."

"Well, I think it's plenty normal! You're my friend," I declared, and she stood quietly.

"Yes... That is also true," she murmured. Her clear eyes were fogged up, and a layer of mist subsequently settled down on Skyworld.

"...Pit?"

"Mm-hm?"

She turned to me somberly. "Throughout your lifetime you will encounter many obstacles and hardships. Sometimes you will get beaten down to the point where you can hardly stand. But I want you to know that, no matter what happens, you can always turn to me for guidance. Do you understand?"

I regarded her carefully before happily answering, "Yup!" I kicked my dangling legs back and forth before my mind jumped to a different topic.

"Hey, how about another story?"

The fog in her eyes lifted and a ray of sunlight filtered into the temple, making the marble sparkle. "Very well," she replied and sat back down. Her sacred doves fluttered down from their temple perch; Elani sat on her shoulder, and Epiphanio settled next to her lap. They cooed at me cheerfully as Palutena took a deep breath.

"Once, there was a young man named Jason..."

* * *

Astro's complexion improved as the sunlight streamed down on the party, and his strides grew stronger. His pallid countenance regained its golden tinge, as well. Pit breathed easier, no longer paranoid about whether or not a gust of wind would blow the the thin frame of his friend away. He glanced to the sides and at the seemingly peaceful drifting clouds. If anything was a wake-up call to the possible danger lurking, it was seeing his friends so horribly damaged. What if another monster did come to attack them? Pit tensed, realizing he was subconsciously reaching for a weapon by his side, and made a clear effort to appear nonchalant. He still had no weapons with him, anyways, so there was no point...

Alex took note of this with sadness; a child should not have to fear for his life, he thought. The Guardian clapped his hand reassuringly on Pit's shoulder, and the young angel did not shrug it off this time.

Pit frowned. In only one day, so many things had happened. He still had no idea where Major Collin was or where the serpent had come from. It couldn't all be a coincidence, could it? And for a reason he couldn't quite substantiate, an ominous feeling wriggled in his belly like a nest of little snakes.

"...Alex."

"Mm-hm?"

"Something bad is happening in Skyworld, isn't it?" Pit stared up at Alex with wide blue eyes, brimming with a foreboding that most children had the luxury of living without. Astro, too, regarded the Guardian somberly.

Alex fell silent, racking his brain for some sort of explanation that wouldn't frighten the boys out of their wits. _"But what could I tell them,"_ he thought bitterly, _"That we're going to be attacked by the Queen of Underworld, or that many of the people they know and love are going to die? Or lie through my teeth and tell them that it'll all be okay or that nothing's wrong?"_

Pit shared an uneasy glance with Astro. "Alex, aren't you gonna say anything? What's going on?"

Alex sighed. "Listen, maybe we should go to Palutena for this. She could explain things better..."

"I don't think that will be necessary."

A gruff voice sounded from behind them, and the party of three turned around cautiously.

Behind them General Miles stepped forward, followed closely by a small platoon of stiff Centurions. As the two Cadets and single Guardian straightened and saluted, his gaze scanned them somberly to linger somewhat on Pit.

"At ease, gentlemen."

The three angels relaxed visibly, but Pit felt even more uneasy than before. He was so used to General Miles scolding him as a student, but now the General was addressing him formally as if they were strangers. He tried to make eye contact, unsure of what was wrong with his superior, but Miles stiffened his jaw and coldly looked away.

"What seems to be the problem, General?," asked Alex warily. "Has anything of issue come up?"

The General waved at his soldiers somewhat distractedly, and they stood behind him and lowered the spears that they carried. The weapons remained drawn.

"I'm sorry to drop in so unexpectedly, but Palutena has sent me on special orders...," General Miles trailed off somewhat. His eyes were cloudy with self-doubt, and he appeared to be making a conscious effort to maintain an icy demeanor. Pit frowned. This wasn't like the General at all...

"What are those orders? ...Sir," Pit added.

Astro uncomfortably peeked from in-between Alexander and his friend, standing on his tip-toes and barely seeing a hair's-breadth above Pit's shoulder. The stern crease in the General's forehead deepened substantially, but he instead addressed Alex.

"As I said before... we're here on urgent matters... and I'm sure you are aware of the impending Coming Day."

Alex nearly clenched his teeth and returned levelly, "Yes. And I'm sure you're aware of certain topics we shouldn't mention in the open..." His eyes flicked almost invisibly towards the two boys, who were paying full attention.

"And those concerns are no longer a priority," the General clipped, somewhat impatiently. "Listen; I am more aware than most of the damage that could be wrought upon our civilization if precautions are not taken. I have seen more in my lifetime than I would care to." His expression darkened with the heaviness of memories from long ago. "But even having not experienced the Schism, only a fool would not take the proper actions and sacrifices to preserve the peace, right?"

Pit and Astro exchanged glances. The young Captain's mind churned the information being thrown at him; what could the Schism have to do with anything? That was ages ago!

He felt Alex inch a little closer to his side. The Guardian carefully answered, "It depends on what those 'sacrifices' are." He glared at the General with a tenacity that flowed from a nearly imperceptible fear. "What is it that you want?," he continued edgily.

General Miles swallowed, the criss-crossing wrinkles on his face jumping in the elongating shadows, as the sun began to slowly descend from the sky. His face was set as if he had made his decision, but his voice was soft and husky with doubt.

"We need the boy."

Pit felt his hair prick up in a chilling sensation. His Guardian sucked in a small breath and glowered menacingly. "You mean Pit?"

Miles stiffened, still unable to look at his student properly. Normally he would have chastised the Guardian for addressing a superior so informally, but his mind was grappling elsewhere. "Yes. But there is nothing to fear- nothing, just some questioning and everything will be fine," he muttered. Finally taking notice of Astro, the General nodded him away. "The Cadet can leave."

Astro pricked shakily and shared a concerned glance with Pit. "That's o-okay, I want t-to stay wi-ith-"

"You can leave," the General pressed harder. "I'm just asking questions. Your friend will be okay."

"It's okay, Astro," Pit whispered unreassuringly, "Er, I'll see you later. Promise."

Astro blinked and scampered off, back towards the Academy.

"Where's he going," growled one of the troops, but the General silenced him.

"Leave him be." Quieter, now, he repeated, "Everything will be fine..." He made an unnoticeable twitch of the wrist, and his troops made firm grips on their spears once more and stood alertly.

Alex curled his lip in disgust as he eyed their weapons. "That's minotaur shit. Nothing's fine, is it?"

He had stepped entirely in front of Pit by then. The boy didn't dare say anything, and even breathed as shallowly as possible in the toxic atmosphere that formed.

The General opened and closed his mouth before managing to say, "That's classified."

Alexander switched tactics and probed in a different direction. "So what do you _really_ need from Pit?"

"Listen Alexander, we really don't have the time to-"

"Answer me."

Almost too quiet to hear now, the General spoke. "Just a little sacrifice, some bloodletting, some-"

"No...," Alex half-questioned, half-accused as he paled tremendously. "...You want his life." Pit's breath caught and he shrank down from the hungry eyes of the surrounding troops.

The General didn't answer.

Alex's heart thumped in his ears as he exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding m-"

"You remember the controversy over the prophecy?," the General hurriedly interjected, his voice louder with a manic urgency. "Now the revered goddess Athena, in all her wisdom, has uncovered its meaning. She told us the truth- the truth you never told us- behind the boy's death in his past life, his crime against the heavens. That's how he can tip the scale of the war- if we sacrifice him, the gods of Mount Olympus will be pleased, and maybe they will help us. We can gain the sympathy of the gods that so evaded us in the first Schism." His words painfully spilled out of him in a tangled mess, as if he were spilling his guts instead.

Pit made a surprised noise, catching his Guardian's attention. Alex winced and hurriedly clapped his hands over a stunned Pit's ears.

Already terrified, Pit struggled to wrest his Guardian's hands from his head. "Let go!" His voice came out higher than he intended as he glanced nervously at his former teacher.

Refusing to release the boy, Alex's mind raced as his eyes scanned for an escape route. He had to get away, but how? Pit couldn't fly very well, so he'd have to carry him for speed... but then, he'd be too weighed down to shake off the troops anyways...

Stalling for time to think, Alex protested, "That's crazy! You know that the prophecy says that Pit will save us! We'd be fools for harming our only chance of survival!"

"But the prophecy also says that if he is impure or weak he will bring darkness upon us!"

The Guardian eyed the General cautiously. "Pit's been a stellar student and a great person! He's as strong and upstanding as you or I... well, I can leave out the former," he added with a sneer. "You have no proof of anything."

Miles regarded the pair gravely. "We've been informed that he's been spying for the enemy."

Alexander spat, "And I'm Aphrodite. Give a real reason, shit-head!" He grunted apologetically as Pit tugged once more on his grasp, but he didn't know how else to filter the secrets that they were spouting into the air.

At the profanity the General harrumphed, almost like his former self, before returning, "It's true. He's been listening in on the conversations of military personnel, and he's been consorting with snakes-"

"_What_?," Alex shouted in anger. "Just earlier today a snake tried to kill him! And you call that 'consorting'?"

"Well, how else would you explain it?," Miles responded harshly. "You've seen how powerful that serpent was; it caused his friends severe harm without hardly trying! Yet Pit doesn't have a scratch on him! Sure, he's talented, but no one is _that_ lucky!"

"So you think he _staged_ being attacked by a monster?," Alex asked in disbelief at what his superior was saying.

"So we've been told."

The Guardian curled his lip. "I suppose you've also been told that Pit's a liar and that it makes _sense_ that he's allied with Medusa?"

Growing paler by the second, the General inclined his head. "We all must follow orders, yourself included. This is the only way."

"But hurting Pit won't make the gods forgive us! He had already been punished-" Alex winced as Pit gave a start, listening through the Guardian's fingers. The boy protested even more, but Alex went on. "...Ugh, what I mean is, there's nothing we can do. No matter what we've done to try to please him, Zeus views us as vermin and would only like us dead and out of his way."

General Miles' hands were shaking as he pleaded, "Athena would never lie. You know what happens to those who don't do as the gods say, and the suffering that we could face if we don't! We thought we had suffered before in the last Schism because we had never seen true violence before- the prophecy- thousands will die this time- Athena would never lie!" His voice raised harshly and a cold sweat formed on his brow.

Before Alex could reply, Pit exclaimed, "I said let go!" Finally managing to wrench free of his Guardian's grasp, Pit staggered away. With a jump at this outburst, Miles finally looked at Pit in alarm. The boy sucked in shallow huffs of air that left him more breathless than before. He stared at the two adults with a newfound fear. "I don't understand..."

Alex's expression became strained. "Pit, please-"

"_I don't understand!,_" Pit cried out hoarsely. "Why won't anyone tell me what's going on? Why are people gonna get hurt? What prophecy? What 'past life', what 'punishment'," he sputtered as searing pain flooded his entire body with flashes of dark, of light, of fire and then dark again. His legs buckled under him and he clutched his head.

"Pit?"

"Great Zeus, what's happening _now_?"

"Grab him and hold him down!"

"Stay back, or else I'll-"

There were sounds of beating. Of pain.

The sunset in the distance looked so small and far away, now, flickering like a small torch flame...

_The torch bobbed up and down with each step they took away from freedom. "This way," a man grunted as he led them in shackles. "Tell the dumb kid to hurry up."_

_"Father, I'm scared... I don't like the dark..."_

_"I know, son, I know. I'm here..."_

_**Dark.**_

_Hours._

_"How long are we gonna be here?"_

_"...It will be some time."_

_Days._

_"I miss mother and my friends... I wanna go home..."_

_"Shh... you'll frighten the pigeons away..."_

_Months._

_"Why are we keeping the candles burning in the afternoon?"_

_"You'll see, you'll- hey, get back here with those feathers!"_

_Years._

_"Father, who are you talking to? There's no one else here... Father? Can you hear me?"_

_"..."_

**_Light._**

_Away from hell, away from darkness and everything he ever knew. Everything he hated._

_Is this what the world looks like? Can't remember..._

_So free!_

_"So we're gonna see everyone again, right? We can finally see home?"_

_"Yes, that's right..."_

_"Why are you crying? I'm _glad_ that we're leaving!"_

_Laughter. Birds squawking in surprise. And he'd never seen so much sun before._

**_Fire._**

_"Father, a few feathers are starting to fall."_

_"Father, help! Too many are gone-"_

_"Father! Father! Fath-"_

_Crushed._

_Broken, and starting to sink. Hurt so bad._

_Was it really the ocean? Why was it so hard?_

_Cold..._

**_Dark._**

"PIT!"

"Silence! Detain him, now!"

Pit blinked rapidly to clear the darkness from his eyes. A few of the troops were down with shallow slash marks on their arms and legs. Alex was struggling against the hold of two troops, greatsword drawn.

"Pit, get out of here! Run!," Alex shouted as his sword was finally wrestled from him.

Pit looked at the scene, eyes wide with horror and a new revelation. He murmured, "...Lied..."

His arms now pinned behind him, Alex strained to turn his head back. "What?"

The young angel glared at his Guardian with eyes full of betrayal. "You lied to me! Everyone lied to me! Why didn't you tell me?," he spat, and Alex jolted where he stood as if he had been stabbed.

"I-I... I'm sorry-"

"Shut up!," Pit found himself screaming. He faltered and clutched once more at his head. "Ugh... I'm so confused...," he moaned. Some of the Centurions backed away from him as if he were poisonous.

After a hesitation, General Miles yelled, "Well what are you waiting for? G-get him!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dizzily, Pit saw the troops advance towards him with spears pointed forward. "No... get away... Get away from me!" He stumbled and fell from the stone path into a ditch. Wincing, he scrambled up as he heard the General barking orders from above. Pit cradled his wrist and bolted away up a cloudy incline. His ears pricked at the whistle of spears behind him, and he turned as the hurled weapons thudded into the ground next to him. One hit closer to home and snagged on the edge of his tunic, throwing him on his back as it dragged down and embedded its head through the cloud layer. Pit clutched desperately at the spear and tried to wrench free as the voices of his pursuers grew louder.

"Come on... come on!," he cried out. One of the Centurions was close enough to swing at Pit, and with a loud ripping noise Pit sprang free and dodged the fist of his attacker. Without a second to lose, Pit sprinted away. He weaved through a blur of arms and faces that sprang at him, snarling, and were left in the dust.

"He's getting away! What are you doing?," echoed the distant voice of the General.

"Sir, we're not accustomed to tracking our targets on foot, and he's running through a construction area. It's too dangerous to try to fly in after him."

"Well, do it anyways! Do whatever you can- the stakes are too high for us to fail!"

Mutters turned into whispers behind him, but Pit kept running. He ran, nearly unconscious of the half-formed columns that he zig-zagged around or the blocks of concrete that he crashed and ricocheted off of. He could hardly hear his labored breathing or the heavy pounding of his feet, and he didn't even notice the sun dip down as it gave way to night.

_Prophecy... Sacrifice... War..._

Panting and wet with tears, he finally collapsed on a dusty paved floor with a strangled sob.

"What am I gonna do?"


End file.
